Hobbies are not a wasteful or meaningless pastime — they are a reflection of yourself. What you choose to do when you have a rare spare moment represents who you are, your talents and what you value. But when society decides your hobby is for women, it instead says to others that you are shallow and frivolous. Due to the underlying sexism inherent to the notion that hobbies like clothes and crafts are “feminine” and therefore less meaningful than more “masculine” hobbies like hunting and woodworking, society systematically belittles women for their hobbies.
Some of the most stereotypically feminine hobbies are fiber arts, such as knitting, crochet and sewing. Because these hobbies are associated with women, some view these hobbies as outdated and boring, something for grandmas and spinsters. This stigma overshadows the creativity and mathematical reasoning required to excel at these skills. In fact, knitting patterns served as a heavy inspiration for early computer design.
Conversely, hobbies like building Legos are masculine, and some parents and teachers praise boys who engage in such hobbies for their strong spatial reasoning, problem-solving abilities and creativity. When people tell little boys that they should consider engineering due to their preferred pastimes and neglect the skills of little girls, they are directly influencing their futures.
When people push boys to go into engineering and girls are not, girls are discouraged from pursuing the same field because it implicitly tells girls that they do not possess the skills the boys have. Instead of adults reserving encouragement towards pathways like engineering for boys who play with blocks, they should also praise girls who are interested in sewing and knitting for the work and reasoning that goes into the work they do.
Another major area where gender impacts social evaluation is sports. Dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics are three extremely physically demanding sports, requiring flexibility as well as intense strength and coordination, but they lack the respect that other sports receive simply because girls dominate those sports. In comparison to the “real” athletes like football stars, society views cheerleaders as ornamentation rather than giving them the respect they deserve for their athleticism.
It is not just children who get hurt by the gendering of hobbies — the implicit gendering of hobbies continues to negatively impact women throughout their lives. Due to its strong association with femininity and frivolity, some look down on women, especially young women, for showing an express interest in fashion. They are viewed as shallow and vain, focusing too much on what they look like instead of something more “important.” Importance, of course, is determined by what people in power deem to be useful. While Supreme is a rare collector’s item, a nice dress is a waste of money. Despite the creativity and attention that is developed through fashion, the fact that clothing is a “feminine” interest inherently devalues it and makes fashion a frivolous hobby.
Men whose hobbies involve working with their hands, such as leatherworking or car restoration, seem like mechanically skilled workers with valuable knowledge. Conversely, women who participate in similar activities such as jewelry making do not receive the same praise even though they are molding metal to match their vision.
When someone participates in an activity that does not “match” their gender, they are subject to ridicule, not only for violating the invisible guidelines of gendered socialization but also due to the negative stereotypes associated with the other gender. People see men who knit as weak and boring. There are people who see women who work on cars or weight lift and assume they are just doing it for male attention. Many little boys who are interested in fashion and little girls who want to play football are made fun of and discouraged from exploring their interests.
The implicit gendering of hobbies negatively impacts us all; it devalues anything stereotypically feminine and holds everyone back from fully enjoying their favorite hobbies.