Gender asymmetry is a term that says that masculine qualities tend to be more valued in our society than feminine qualities. This is a term invented by our society. We are taught how to behave as male or female in our society. This theory allows the concept of the privileged male to prevail. Hegemonic masculinity, the gender wage gap, marital power, and meritocracy all show evidence of gender asymmetry. some masculine qualities over others” (McGuffey and Rich, p. 166). Hegemonic masculinity is a form of social power that men exercise over women. Boys support hegemonic masculinity because it not only gives them power over women, but it also gives them power over members of their own gender. If any girl attempted to enter the hegemonic group of boys, she would be rejected or accepted, but only on their terms: either being marginalized when a girl fulfills some of the requirements of hegemonic masculinity, or masculinized when boys totally dissociate a girl from being female , both depend on how athletic a girl is and how emotionless she is (McGuffey and Rich, p. 172). Even if it appears that girls are making some kind of progress, this does not change or challenge stereotypical gender norms. “Hegemonic masculinity not only maintains and defines itself, but also defines femininity” (McGuffey and Rich, p. 173). In Kane's chapter, femininity was more often repressed and perceived as a negative thing. Being emotional and crying over heterosexual fathers was unacceptable, as was not playing with certain toys that were… middle of paper… established societal norms. Since the beginning of time and even now, men are valued more than women and people, especially men, are reluctant to change that. I think it's a problem because it doesn't give women the same opportunities to be able to excel in this world. I think everyone in this world should be treated equally and have the same opportunities, no matter if they are men or women. There is a serious problem in our society where masculine qualities are valued more than feminine qualities. Hegemonic masculinity shows that from a young age, boys are taught that doing something feminine is wrong, which turns them into a man who devalues ​​femininity. The wage gap shows that women are severely disadvantaged in the job market. Marital Power shows that just because a woman earns more than a man doesn't really matter because the man controls everything anyway.