I can sadly note for myself now some trends among my friends and people I know. (It's a firsthand experience)
The first thing that I have spotted among my friends is: Boys, even those in relationships, (not talking about grown-up people) tend to consider the opinion of a female as less important. What makes me wonder is the girls' detachment, that their opinions are not taken in consideration, and their unwillingness to give an opinion, especially if the process of forming one involves the thinking process. Another thing that I have noted for myself is that when a girl proposes something that is obviously of some intellectual value it is usually overlooked, scoffed at, or simply ignored. And even if I assume that this happens to me solely because of my ignorance and stupidity, I have many times seen males overlooking an opinion in a light-hearted, humorous way, even though it has been of importance/value.
Secondly, for a man to be attractive, he has to have- a job, interests that he likes to pursue, some kind of intellectual property that others value, so he might succeed (of course, there are other ways to success; especially in Bulgaria some people think intellect not only is not crucial to success, but it also may get in the way) power and so on. It's the stereotypical image of the successful man. Women of course also work. That is true, but nevertheless, for a woman to be attractive, she has to be good-looking, caring (i.e. a nurturer) and generally cheerful (so that she can tend the man in his hardships); she is not supposed to have a job - a job doesn't "win" her points, she's not more (or less) attractive because she has (or doesn't have) a job; It is what I have seen that makes me think a woman might not work and be as high in the social hierachy as if she had been working, which, for a man, is unacceptable and unprecendented. Which, in its own way, provokes men to value their own intellect.
Lastly, women seem to be content with their situation. Even the smart girls I know keep quiet and make sure not to excel boys.
Surely, I am not the first person to spot these, if I may call them so, trends, but it still bothers me sometimes, because conformism is a bitch and, however unwilling I might be to conform, I sometimes catch myself thinking: "Wouldn't it be good to be like the other girls, normal, ...etc."
I don't want to conform.
