Gender in Southern Lit

As we know from the discussions from class, gender is influenced by many different factors; class, region, culture, and race. However the common trend of influence in both Hunting Years and Confession of a Southern Failed Lady are the parents. The gender shaping stories were told after a push to fit a social norms from the story teller's parents. The storytellers were not the only victims in their families. Franklin's brother and King's mother were both pushed by their parents social southern gender roles.

The man is strong, and the lady is fragile. Franklin is taken on hunting trips and King is prepared to wed. We still see these trends today in the south. However without qualitative data we can sense that the this trend has decreased. This drop leaves me questioning what  can we make this trend to continue to decrease. 

As someone with southern parents I have heard the "we're going easy on you" stories my entire life ranging from whippings to hair and make up requirements. If all the southern parents gathered together and decided to ease back on gender expectations how would the next generation compare to past? Then I think bigger. What if parents everywhere decided to raise their young with little to no gender expectations?

Of course our parents are not the only gender influence in our life. As I mentioned earlier there are multiple variables that define gender roles in the South, the Unites States and the world. However if we terminate the first layer, the first influence, the parents wouldn't the rest not follow?

 As our society becomes less gender reliant its easy to imagine a world where boys and girls grow up with no "gender destiny".