[Liethell]

I can say that males are still expected to live up to much the same gender rules. There are steps being made against that though. Boy are typically made to feel as if any deviation from their gender role makes them lesser, weaker, and target for attack. They must initiate romantic relationships and they must be headstrong, courageous, the fighter of the group, defender of the weak, etc...

There are some nice books out there challenging that, but the focus is mainly on women. Nobody really praises a book for challenging the gender roles of a boy unless it involves women somehow.