Gender Roles

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Pages: 4

Gender Roles in Society Until recently, I had never spent too much time looking at how gender roles play a significant role in our country’s culture. I was always taught to treat women with respect and that it was unacceptable to ever raise a hand to a woman. I entered high school and had girlfriends from the time I was about 14, so my mother reminded me to be a gentleman and mindful of how my actions could affect myself and any girls that I dated. I felt like as I reached the age to get a job that it was my responsibility to take my girlfriend out and pay because it was expected of me and the gentlemanly thing to do. When I met my fiancé, who is a few years older than me as well as a mother, she already had very strong views on gender roles …show more content…
Both of our families have made comments like “he did not have a father in his life until you, maybe that’s why wants to pretend to do make-up”, “don’t let him do that or he’s going to be a sissy”, and “that’s for girls not boys”. I was always under the impression that kids had the option to play with what they wanted, but I had to face the reality that people are pushing innocent children with no concept of gender into certain boxes and shaming them if they want to play with the wrong things. I started to remember that my childhood was no different, as I can still point out who was the sissy boy or the tomboy and how both adults and children would scrutinize …show more content…
The toys targeting boys are guns, cars/trucks, balls, super hero items, work stations, play grills, swords, and superhero masks. The girl’s toy aisle is primarily baby dolls, little kitchens, pots and pans, play houses, cleaning kits, Barbie accessories, princess dresses with shoes, and play make-up. These toys reflect that it is socially acceptable for boys to be violent, strong, and feared like the super hero role models. On the other hand, girls are being conditioned that their job is to care for children, take care of the house, cook, clean, and look pretty while doing it. Clersida Garcia, a professor of Kinesiology at Northern Illinois University, said “in the United States, men are expected to be tough and physically strong, whereas women are expected to be nurturing and subservient”. (Garcia). Even the children’s movies teach girls that their goal is to find a prince, and that boys have to be strong and handsome to get a woman and care for a