Meme Asking if Women’s Equality Means Men Can Hit Them Back Goes Viral on Reddit — the Thread Became a Debate About How Boys Are Raised

A meme posted to r/CuratedTumblr depicting a man responding to the phrase "Women are equal" by asking "Does this mean I can punch you?" has sparked a lengthy debate in the thread. Commenters are setting aside the joke and turning to a discussion about how boys and girls are socialized to handle physical conflict.

One commenter reflected on their childhood: "People went out of their way to drill into you that girls were significantly more fragile than boys. If you were being bullied by a boy, you grab a chair and swing. If you were being bullied by a girl, then you tell a trusted adult. Guy on guy violence is treated as just it is what it is. Guy on gal is treated as kicking a puppy."

A second commenter pointed to roughhousing as the root of the confusion: "A boy hitting another boy may not actually be fighting, they could both be having a good time. That's not to say that girls don't roughhouse, but boys tend to do it more often and to a greater magnitude."

The commenter added that this boundary teaches boys they cannot interact with girls the same way they would with other boys.

Others in the thread pushed back on the idea that girls are naturally less physical — one commenter noted that girls raised primarily around brothers tend to be just as physical, suggesting the difference is environmental rather than innate.

For them, it's the society that decides, "It's unladylike to roughhouse with your sisters, unladylike to play aggressive sports, unladylike to do anything that could get you dirty."

"All people said to my parents: you're lucky girls are so calm compared to boys," another commenter recalled.

A third commenter recalled a different kind of childhood: "My ma doesn't care about gender roles, so despite growing up as a girl and having mostly sisters, me and my siblings used to physically fight for fun a lot as kids. Even me and my dad would have play boxing matches. Kids like throwing hands regardless of gender, it's fun."

While the part about women's equality might've started with the recurring issue of gender pay gap, the thread took a life of its own. The discussion is still open, with users justifying whether males should roughhouse with females, or not.