That's actually an interesting point. Did they take into account the intelligence of the fathers of the children?? It sounds terrible, but there might be something to it.

I'd like airlines to be more flexible. My two daughters could easily share a seat, but I have to pay for both.

I have two girls and make sure they play with cars and balls and other stereotypical boy's toys. You don't need to introduce gender confusion to expose your child to all that there is to offer.

When I took Chinese studies in University, my professor referred to it as the 'one-and-a-half' child policy (which only applies in some regions). Meaning that if you had a girl first, you were able to try again and have a boy (up to twice). Traditionally, sons were your social safety net, with parents living with sons and not their daughters in their old age. This results in an increase in the boy:girl ratio in two ways. Firstly, a lot of couples would stop after a single boy, and secondly, second girl children are often selectively aborted. This has caused social disruption in some areas of china as well. In any case, this law is largely ignored already, and will be phased out in 10 years.

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter. We are teaching her that there are differences between boys and girls. We also encourage her to participate in play traditionally thought of as 'boyish'. Ignoring what you are isn't going to help you succeed. Ignoring those limitations others place on you will.