Gender Roles

Whoever said men and women are equal must be blind. Women have always taken a back seat to men in American society. This occurrence is not only found in the United States, but in other countries as well. It's safe to say that the Declaration of Independence started it, and it has continued to the present. There is one set of standards that apply to men, and another set of standards that apply to women. This is evident in the home, workplace, and society in general.

The problem of men and women not being equal can be traced back to the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men are created equal. There was no mention of women being equal, only men. At the time of the drafting of the document, the men had all the power. The document was even drafted by a man. Women were confined to the home to take care of the domestic housekeeping duties.

Look no further than the home to see the first sign that men and women are not equal. The traditional role of the man was to work, and the money he made would be used by all in the household. The traditional role of the woman was to stay home, take care of the children, clean the house, and cook. Because society has always associated money with power, the person bringing home the money had the power. The man often makes the final decision on all household matters because he has the money.

In early American Culture it was common for a women's job to be a submissive homemaker in clear contrast to the male's tough breadwinner role. The Seventies marked the beginning of the Woman's Movement and the end of the ideals we held on to, of what it is to be a "woman". Women were no longer like the stereotypical homemaker, but were instead out protesting inequality. One of the Women's Movements primary goals was to crush gender roles in the sense that women were secondary to men. Girls are encouraged to play with dolls and playhouse type of toys while boys will often play with trucks and army toys. Boys are played with in a rough manner and told to "tough it out" when they get hurt. Girls are taught to be more passive and expressive their feelings. Whether or not these gender roles are fair, this is where the argument beings.

The fact that we are treated differently based on our sex prevent us from reaching equality or are we treated differently because we are different by nature? We are indeed raised differently, but does the fact that a boy is given a blue room and a girl is given a pink room mean that a girl is being clichйd or stereotyped? Now that the sexist roles that belittle woman have vanished; the ones that presently exist are the ones that are true. "Males are better in math while females are better in English. Women master language skills better than men, while men are better at organizing objects". Gender roles are present but they are not helpful to either sex. Women are portrayed as physically weaker, and men as the stronger more physically capable. It is not so much an evil conspiracy by "the man" but an observation of an obvious fact.

Traditional gender role outlook has reflected male dominance and viewpoint. For example, like most American boys they are trained to dread doing anything "like a girl." Men were said to grow into the assumption that women were valueless, natural prey. It may be true that women are physically weaker, not because nature intended them to be but because women are discouraged from building muscles resembling a man's figure. "In many cultures women are taught to depend on others, not themselves, for protection from bodily harm. Women are not taught to defend themselves". This trend demonstrates the fear that men have in that a woman is dangerous with too much power.

Traditional gender roles for the woman include nurturance, dependence and emotional expressiveness; this socialization rooted from the placement of male and females how to be caretakers. Women are taught to be self sacrificing, passive victims. As a result of this, a woman's identity is based on how well she serves others. Men are encouraged to venture out and establish a place in the world. Women are encouraged to stand behind men and clean up their messes.

Gender inequality has been a social concern since man has stepped foot on earth. When we think of gender inequality, discrimination is the first thought which comes to mind. Gender roles by definition are the social norms that dictate what socially appropriate male and female behavior is. The argument being between these two sides in which the stated gender roles in society are; are they fair on both sides or do they in fact discriminate against the sexes? Men are taught to be aloof in times of stress and women are taught to be helpless and needy, this is how our society expects men and women to behave. The problem of inequality between men and women started with the Declaration of Independence. Society has lived with this inequality for many years. It's impossible for society to change overnight. Progress has been made over time, but more time is needed to finish what was started. Maybe, in the near future as a culture we as a people we will abandon our "assigned" gender idea, so that other aspects of life can be separated and gender free

The workplace is another place where men and women are not equal. We typically stereotype women on the job. "Women don't belong in a professional setting, they belong in the kitchen" Women normally are associated with jobs such as nurses, secretaries, and tailors. These are jobs in which most people would label as a tender loving care job, which requires a woman's touch. Women are rarely associated with the titles of a Doctor, Lawyer, or CEO of a company. On occasion, when women are given positions of power, they are viewed as being power hungry and male bashers. Male co-workers would be constantly put down by their superior, who in this case would be a woman, because the woman had to struggle through life trying to make it in a man's world, or so the stereotype says. For women to be well liked in the work place, they have to be subordinate to the men.

The inequality levels between men and women in the labor force seem to be an ongoing battle. There are too many men in the labor force that are narrow minded and they are causing problems for women who are trying to succeed in the work force. When you look back on the history of a woman s position in society, no matter what class you look at, females have always been looked upon as second class citizens.

The salary of men and women who do the exact same work differ. Women often make less than men do even though they do the exact same thing. In 1990, the median income was $29,172 for men and $20,586 for women. The fact that women