Boys as Relational Beings with Judy Y. Chu

“Boys want a sense of belonging and acceptance...a very relational motive drives them to willingly say, 'okay, maybe I need to hide this behavior or emphasize that quality more’. But ironically, those rules of engagement that society prescribes for boys actually make it harder for boys to establish the very connections that motivate them in the first place."

Judy Y. Chu, Ed.D. is a Lecturer in Human Biology and Affiliate of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University, where she teaches a course on Boys’ Psychosocial Development. Her research highlights boys’ relational strengths and examines the impact of boys’ gender socialization during early childhood and adolescence. She is the author of When Boys Become Boys: Development, Relationships, and Masculinity (NYU Press, 2014) and co-editor of Adolescent Boys: Exploring Diverse Cultures of Boyhood (NYU Press, 2004). She also appeared in and developed curricula for The Representation Project’s film, The Mask You Live In, and currently serves as Chair of Movember's Global Men’s Health Advisory Committee, co-Chair of the Board of Directors for Promundo-US, and member of the Board of Directors for The Partnership for Male Youth.