This has been a debate on another post of mine, yes I wish I did more research but that post was about advertising. Many people are either not aware or do not care for the fact that gender roles can have a very negative impact. Therefore I am creating a post to explain why using research and figures.

I have a better understanding of why people disagree, if you like gender roles then that is perfectly fine and this isn't a discussion on parenting. However I do believe it's important to not ignore these studies.

1. Raising children in societies that adhere to rigid gender roles, with fixed ideas about what should be considered “masculine” and “feminine,” can actually be detrimental to their physical and mental health, according to a study that observed 14-year-olds’ interactions over a three month period.

The study concluded, “this constant effort to manage one’s everyday life in line with gender norms produces significant anxiety, insecurity, stress and low self-esteem for both boys and girls, and both for ‘popular’ young people and those who have lower status in school.” - ThinkProgress.org

2. While these stereotypes and ideal roles may seem innocent and harmless, they have a dramatic affect on the everyday lives of people. From personality development to careers and education, gender roles have set boundaries that cause a negative effect on both genders.

For example, women are believed to be “submissive” while men are “aggressive and assertive”. Women are expected to be emotional while men “should manage and suppress their emotions”. These can lead to many problems. These expectations force people to change who they are and shames them if they do not.

Males are encouraged to enter jobs that require physical, scientific, or mathematical skills for they are believe to be better at those fields, unlike women who are believed to be better at emotional skills, language, and humanities.

- TheOdysseyOnline.org

3. To those who cry “overreaction”, a new study published this month by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that gender bias at primary school may in fact have long-term implications for pupils. The study saw several groups of students take two exams, one marked blind by outside examiners, the other marked by teachers who knew the students’ names. In maths, girls outperformed boys on the anonymously marked exam, but boys outperformed girls when assessed by teachers who knew their names, suggesting that they may have overestimated the boys’ abilities and underestimated the girls. - TheGuardian

Raising children "gender neutral" does not mean you hide their biological sex. Raising children gender neutral means that you raise both genders to do the same things. Such as teaching boys and girls to cook, clean, play sports. Raising children this way can have a seriously good impact on their mental health and future!

If you disagree with this then please discuss this respectfully. I just wanted to post this to clear up why gender roles are very harmful to children.