I think you're very right. Girls and boys (as women and men) are being treated differently by society, as well as by themselves as a result of their own education. This is something that is very clear since before the baby is even born - looking at equipment, clothes, toys, accessories for babies, you definitely see the different themes - colors, drawings, everything.
As the babies start growing, you see that boys are treated differently by their parents - for them it's okay to run around, mess around, make lots of noise, and sometimes push or beat up other children (no, it's never okay, but some parents seem to be more receptive for such things, for some reason).
I think that the way to change these attitudes starts with the parents. As a parent to a 3yo daughter, I can definitely say she's less shy and "girly-like" than most girls I see that age. That said, we do keep strict boundaries on what can and cannot be done - the same boundaries we'd put for a boy. She has various sorts of toys - cars, dolls, airplanes, dress-up costumes, and she plays with all of them, because she doesn't know that she's "supposed to" play with certain things and not with others. And she's a great soccer player, too. And a daredevil acrobat.
Society is us. If we change the way we look at "boys vs. girls", both in terms of physical appearance and mental expressions (cry, talk, etc.), we can change the world. But it takes time and effort. Tons of effort.