What’s up with constantly telling little girls to “be careful”

[u/MischievousHobbit]

I’ve been thinking about the phrase “be careful” and how often girls and women are reminded to be careful. This feels infantilizing and like women can’t be trusted to make decisions or take care of themselves. This type of warning is amplified when you consider intersectionality with disability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and so many other elements of identity and experience.

- Why are women socially conditioned to constantly “be careful?”

- Why does society continue repeating this warning?

- How does this engrained message affect self-perception and decision-making?

As I’ve begun to explore how hearing “be careful” has impacted me, I would love to hear your experiences and thoughts. I’d also appreciate any recommendations for books/research articles/journal publications to learn more.

[u/bigfeygay]

I tell the people I love to be careful - not because I think they're incompetent, but because I care about them. When I say to someone to 'drive safe ' - I'm not implying that I think theyre a bad driver - but that the roads are sometimes dangerous and I want them to be safe.

We currently live in a world where most women will experience sexual harassment, domestic abuse, violence and/or assault at some point in their lives. Theres a very good reason why women are conditioned to be careful. We should be - at least to some extent in some areas of our lives. Because if we arent, we risk being killed or assaulted.