GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
“How Boys Become Men” by Jon Katz (58-51)
Describe in your own words the “code of conduct” Katz believes boys are taught to follow. How does this “code” affect boys’ behavior?
About his episode with Barry, Katz writes, “. . . but when my gather got home I cracked and confessed, pleading with them to do nothing. Instead, they called Barry’s parents, who restricted his television for a week” (60). What happens as a result of Katz’s parents intervention? How is the situation finally resolved, and what is significant about that resolution?
How do the “lessons boys learn affect their behavior as men” (60)? What effects does the boys’ “code of conduct” have on their adult life, particularly in their relationships with women? The introduction says that this article was originally published in Glamour. Why do you suppose Katz chose to publish this article in that magazine?
Do some men change in their adult lives, according to Katz? If so, what causes the change?
“Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls” by Katha Politt (73-77)
How does Pollitt explain “the love of preschool girls for party dresses or the desire of toddler boys to own more guns than Mark from Michigan” (74)? Does she believe “nature” or “nurture” is responsible for gender roles?
What happens at the little girl’s birthday party? What is significant about this?
Pollitt says that “theories of innate differences in behavior are appealing because they let parents off the hook.” What does she mean by this?
Toward the end of the article, what does Pollitt suggest is happening to the rigidly determined gender roles of the past? What does she seem to think about the future of gender roles?
“X: A Fabulous Child’s Story” by Lois Gould (63-71).
Lois Gould wrote this story 20 years ago. Do you think we are closer to be “Xs” now than we were when this was written? Do you think it will ever be possible to have a true “Baby X?”