What Are Gender Roles In The 1950s

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Gender Roles: 1950s vs. Now
“Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of gender, may have the opportunity to learn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability” (O’Conner, borgenproject.org). A gender role is a behavior learned by a person as appropriate to their gender, determined by the prevailing cultural/ traditional norms (dictionary.com). For example, in parts of Latin America, construction work was considered “men’s work”, but in India, it is “women’s work” (uwcc.wise.edu). In the 1950’s, the role of women was repressive in many ways. During the war, women had to take on lots of the “male jobs” they had before the war. They were then expected to return to their …show more content…
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem were trying to find themselves and are observing the world around them. In a quote from the book, Jem says “It’s time you start bein’ a girl and actin’ right” (154. Chap. 12). Scout’s struggles include growing up without a mother, having Miss Maudie as a role model, and Atticus’ decision in allowing Aunt Alexandra influence her to believe that she should be a woman one day. Another controversial quote from the novel is “Boys don’t cook.” I giggled at the idea of Jem in an apron”- Scout (109. Chap. 9). The established gender roles in our society are bad because it has been proven that raising kids in a society where they are taught what should be masculine or feminine can be detrimental to their mental and physical health, it teaches boys that they can treat women poorly at a young age, and women are taught that people saying things using the …show more content…
There has been a study on 14 year old children to see how they reacted to the gender roles in our society, and it was concluded that all of the pressure caused anxiety, low self-esteem, and more. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has found that 20 people per minute are abused by a partner in the U.S. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men are abused. Those aren’t good numbers. 7 out of 10 girls think they shouldn’t play sports because they play like a girl, and this comes from gender roles. In To Kill A Mockingbird, gender roles are prominent because back then the woman’s place was in the kitchen, and they had to be obedient at all times. With Americans still including gender roles in today’s society, it’s time we decide to stop being another
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