Re: ...Son vs. Daughter...
Mrs saieen...
some of us are still horrific...several years after our teens :o
Just to clarify.......I say this b/c this is the only perspective that I know well. I will not speak for boys raised here and i will not speak for girls or boys raised in Pakistan or any other non-western country. I was born and raised here, and some people will not appreciate it and kichkich and foam at hte mouth, but I do think it will ring true for some.---I think its harder to be a teenage girl, Muslim/Pakistani growing up in west with parents who came from Pak.
When you come from one culture where the general thought is that a family's entire izzat is dependant on the fact that she remain "chaste" and keep a good reputation, into a culture where women are encouraged to do anything and everything ("good" and "bad") the two extremes will no doubt clash. Its crucial to strike a good balance. The more parents are strict, the more the kids, in general, will want to lash out. But the teen years can be worse for the girls than for the guys. Sons are allowed to do whatever they want, and its no problem... "larka hai"...this goes into late teens, even in the 20s.
As much as we dont like it or some wont like to admit, a girls' reputation is so much more delicate than a boy's. Now i'm not saying that they're all always victims and can do no wrong, but in general you cant deny the fact that its easier to trash a girls reputation for a lesser offense than a guys. I'm sure this rings true not just for desi culture but gora culture as well. At some point, it does balance out, when a girl either gets married or starts working full time, less restrictions, but those teenage years ( as well as childhood!) ears are very crucial in setting good exampls and standards...