I get what OP is saying, I've done quite a bit of reading on media and women's issues as well. Apologies, I go on a bit of random tangent here but I think it is on topic even if it comes out of the blue.
The aggressiveness or social issues caused by men become invisible in the media, and the women are focused on instead. For instance, if you look at a rape case and how it's reported in the media, it will say something like "Local woman raped." It makes the victim the focus instead of the person who did the raping--in essence pulling the focus away from the man and his aggressiveness, which is really what caused the issue. If a woman attacks someone, she is automatically the focus in media "Woman Attacks Man", but if a man attacks a woman, it'll just say "Woman Attacked." The violence perpetuated by men is pushed into invisibility and considered a non-issue. We need to push responsibility on to the responsible parties regardless of gender. And like another poster said, if I a man is assertive and a go-getter in his job, he's considered a cool guy. A woman who is assertive and a go-getter in her job? She may be considered a b-word or frowned upon. She is not "nice"--not a pushover, like we woman have been taught we are ideally "supposed" to be.
I think things are changing, but there certainly are still women and men out there who are taught to give in to what others want regardless of their own feelings, and that sort of behavior is still considered ideal, especially for women, when it really shouldn't be. I think it's a large part cultural and also partly a self-esteem problem. For instance, if a woman were to yell at a man in public for making unwanted advances, the woman is the one who would often be frowned at instead of the man for his behavior. The woman, in some capacity, would be expected to "take it" because it's just "men being men." It's this sort of culture that feminism is currently trying to fight against, but it can be difficult because a lot of these behaviors are ingrained in us by our culture and it's hard to fight when most people aren't even aware of the inherent sexism.
My mom taught me to be assertive and not to allow others to take advantage of me, and I'm thankful for that. I'm certainly polite and friendly and very compassionate/giving, but if I'm uncomfortable with something, I never give in to it. I've been in some situations with a lot of peer pressure, and I'm happy to say that I have always been able to say "No" if I didn't want to do something. I'm glad to live in a time where I am not forced to become a person I don't want to be. I definitely don't want children and will only be in a relationship with someone if I really genuinely like them and get along with them (I'm twenty-three and I've never been in a relationship, and I'm happy that way), and I am thankful to be a young adult in a time where I can make my own choices and I won't be forced into a mold of being the sort of woman that I do not want to be.
