Bike or Barbie .. what say people?

My hubby has got a new interest, thanks to which I have no access to remote control till 11 pm. He has started watching TV serials... No..  not the      'Friends', 'Two and half Men' comedy sitcoms. He has started watching the 'Saas Bahu' kind of Hindi serials on Sony TV.  If there was one on romance between a middle aged doctor and an intern 18 years younger than him, there was another on adjustability issues of a newly married middle aged couple - all emotional drama which would interest only the female clan. I was shocked. I had always thought that these serials were for housewives or at least women. Men watched wrestling, soccer or cricket in India. After some introspection, what shocked me more was my stereotyped thinking. I always thought that my views were egalitarian but still I categorized serials into men and women based viewership. 


I guess this stereotyping starts right from childhood when we played with toys. Traditionally games and toys were intended for children to prepare themselves for their future adult roles -  girls were given dolls and houses and boys took to cars and balls. Today boys and girls will eventually be one anothers peers, employers, employees, romantic partners and co-parents. This gender apartheid has to go. Hamleys, a popular British toy store recently announced that it is abandoning the separate section for boys and girls and instead will have signs which say what type of toys are sold on each floor, rather than suggesting who should play with them. 


Balls, bikes or Barbie, it's time we let the little ones choose. Let's teach our sons to cook and clean and our daughters to be emotionally stable and financially independant. Last decade saw women entering the male domain, now its the turn of the males. The modern man grooms, shops, cooks,  and most importantly ... is sensitive.

 Women love nice guys 

 Nice guys finish last!