Save the Boys: How China is emasculating its young men
A new book claims that Chinese education and popular culture are feminizing its male children
Gender-bending pop icons such as Li Yuchun can affect male development, according to the book, as boys model themselves after these people rather than traditional male rolemodels
Chinese boys between the ages of 7 and 17 are 2.54 cm shorter than Japanese boys.
Chinese boys are getting physically weaker.
Chinese boys are now emotionally more vulnerable than girls.
The above are all claims made by a new book, “Save the Boys,” that has one simple warning for Chinese society: our boys are becoming more girly. A combination of popular culture and an education system that inhibits masculine development is to blame, it adds.
Un-equal education
“We have talked so much about equal education for men and women in the past decades,” says Sun Yunxiao, author of the book and a professor at China's Teenager Research Center, “but we neglected the fact that boys and girls should be educated differently at school.”
Sun's book reveals how China's education system, which centers on exams, is a major disadvantage for the growth of boys. “Boys have to stop being boys in schools; they have to sit still and be obedient. Boys with poor performances in exams feel discouraged by their educators and this has a negative impact in their self-esteem,” says Sun.
Will China soon become second only to Thailand in producing ladyboys?
— Zi Le Shang, netizen
According to "Save the Boys," the traditional Chinese method of 'caged breeding' raises a child like a little emperor and doesn't encourage independence. Furthermore, “the frequent absence of a father figure and the overprotection of the mother is another factor that makes Chinese boys more feminine.”
Add in China's lack of male educators and the book has a strong argument: Chinese boys are developing in a predominately female environment.
Pop culture influences
The book also leaves blame for the change in China’s males on the doorstep of Chinese popular culture. In recent years the pop culture industry, especially TV talent shows, has produced icons (Li Yuchun, for example) that blur the man/woman divide.
According to the "Save the Boys," when Chinese boys grow up they imitate these gender-ambiguous pop culture influences instead of trying to take on more traditional male roles.
What will create these masculine men that “Save the Boys” is looking for? Sun writes on his blog, “In order to have Chinese boys grow up to be real men, they need to participate in sports.”
The "Save the Boys" debate
Sun's book has spurred arguments around the country about young Chinese boys' development. Professor Yuan Jun from Shanghai Normal University's Psychology department is one of the loudest voices against Professor Sun’s theory. “Although gender-neutral men often win talent shows, it doesn't mean boys will imitate their behaviors. These men are just a few of the icons that young boys see.”
Li Wendao, the other author of “Save the Boys,” counters this theory saying that, “the feminine men on TV do not influence grown-ups very much, but they cause severe confusions and even damage to children.”
Feminists entering into the debate question the root of the book's argument. In a society where men and women are seen as equals, they question if it is necessary to teach boys to behave like 'boys' and girls to behave like 'girls.' Even if the book's claims are true, does this mean boys really need to be 'saved?'
There are some however who go further. Netizen Zi Le Shang comments that China will soon become second only to Thailand in producing ladyboys. Not even "Save the Boys" goes this far.
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User Comments and Reviews
Has anyone stopped to think that maybe this is what China wants...in light of their one-child birth policies that favor birthing only male heirs? Their gender numbers are so lopsided that they may favor having man/girls.
Before the author can even begin to justify his thesis, he needs to define what he means by 'masculine'.
Are the 3 statements at the beginning of the article lifted directly from the book, or are the interpretations from the writer of this article? If they are directly from the book, then they are totally worthless as foundations for any kind of argument.
- "Chinese boys are shorter than Japanese boys." So what? Are you suggesting they chose this so they would be less masculine, or is this a change from past height differences that would be better explained by something else, such as dietary differences?
- "Chinese boys are getting physically weaker." If there is actually data to support this, does that necessarily mean that they are less masculine? Or does it possibly mean they are not as physically fit as previous generations?
- "Chinese boys are now emotionally more vulnerable than girls." Says who? And by what measurements? I can only assume that this means that, to the author, emotional equates to non-masculine, which makes little sense, since emotions are obviously natural to all humans.
If the reviewer is accurately portraying the views of the book, it sounds more like it is a "back in my day" type of rant than a serious sociological study. That is the type of rant that is all over the internet and should stay there, rather than be afforded the measure of permanence and respect that comes with book publication.
I find this discussion -- both sides -- fascinating. As a teacher of English as a Second Language at U.S. universities on the West Coast for the past 30 years, I have observed (through students' comments in discussions and their assertions in essays) that the most male chauvinistic nationalities have been Chinese and Korean, with the latter being the most alarmingly extreme. I wonder if these countries simply "export" their worst examples gender bias. Incidentally, contrary to some common Western misconceptions, my many Arab students from various countries have not come even remotely close to these two Asian countries in the male chauvinism category.
I think a large factor that is ignored is the impact of the gender neutralization caused during the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese model of communism broke all gender molds, pushing everyone to accept the same physical profile of the iconic 'blue suit' and redefining traditional roles.
I believe the "emasculation" is more of an "effeminization". These gender identity issues are an ongoing adjustment to modern culture in the wake of that shake up. Women are viewed equal to men in China, more so than most countries in the world (including the West). This is an affect of the empowerment of women in that culture, but I believe it will ultimately naturally regulate itself. In Western culture, women who promote female equality and identify as feminists are often considered "masculine" because they refuse to accept gender roles as defined by traditional culture. This is simply the reverse.
This is happening all over the globe. I witnessed in California but I am not from California. Asian males are not as masculine as other races are. Specially asian gay male, completely out of control. They through themselves into white men no matter what to get what they want. It is very disturbing to see how they adore white culture, they color their hair, wear color contacts, act like white people, they do not socialize with other races and sometimes they reject themselves as well. I do not accept this kind of behavior. I understand we have to be what we are born to be the way we are to be, however there is something wrong when an entire race is been affected. Have anyone visited Thailand and other asian countries? You will be shocked if not already.
In what universe could Li Yuchun, a neutral-looking GIRL, 'affect male development'? Since when do 'boys model themselves after these people (girls) rather than traditional male rolemodels'? If the author really wants to prove his/her point, s/he must at least use a sissy boy as an example, not a manly-looking girl.
What do you think?
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