The Issue Of Fear, Especially In The Female Gender

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The Effects of Fear
Introduction
“The prince saved the princess, and they lived happily ever after.” With no flowery rhetoric or unexpected plot, the stereotypical but beatific ending repeatedly occurred in the stories, fairy tale picture books, and individual recognition of the world of children. Over the centuries, girls have embraced the description of the gender as beautiful but weak princesses who always mire in fatal danger. The kindness and wisdom girls possess become insignificant in the face of dilemmas, so girls wait for a just, courageous and omnipotent prince to overcome all obstacles fearlessly and rescue the princess from evil. The stereotype exists in not only fairytales but also our current society as an epitome of socialization differentiated by gender. The essay examines the outlook that several authors have on the issue of fear, especially in the female gender.
Causes and Effects of Fear
Caroline Paul pinpoints that the main contributor to fear is conditioning. According to the author, fear conditioning starts at an early age (Paul, 1). Research has uncovered that physical activity such as hiking, sports and playing outside has ties to the self-esteem of girls. The irony is that authoritative figures caution girls against involvement in any activity that involves even the slightest of risks. Parents tend to give stern warnings to their female children as compared to the male ones concerning risky activities (Paul, 2). Compared to the boys, parents would even assist boys when getting involved in cautious activities. Both male and female parents encouraged their boys to confront their fears but encouraged their girls to be precautious. Parents justify the extra precaution with girls as a response to the girls being clumsy (Paul, 2). One would note with interest that whenever a girl gets involved in the risky activity and sustains an injury, parents do not panic but instead appreciate mishaps as a part of childhood. Parents who allowed their female children to be adventurous attributed such outlier behavior amongst parents to their lack of adventure as children (Paul, 2). The parents wanted to provide their female children with the opportunity to live an adventurous life. One can argue that parents like to be cautious, but researchers highlight a drawback. Girls have a lower likelihood of experimenting with physical activities, and parents think daughters possess more fragility than sons do. The group advocates that girls should not be reckless but should take risks.
Ideas on Fear
Reshma Saujani offers insight on the concept of fear based on her observations. Reshma concluded that fear had caused women to shy away from taking up opportunities for which the group has qualifications. The speaker chose to run for a political position and failed (Saujani 00:50-01:44). She had already received warnings from informed voices but chose to go through with the idea because the decision was the first she ever made despite with bravery without the fear of failing to achieve perfection. The outcome of the elections gave the speaker the discovery the society teaches females to evade failure and risk while boys get the motivation to take as many risks...