Gender Stereotypes

What are the gender stereotypes for your gender? Do your experiences support these stereotypes and would you like to change any?

     Historically women have been viewed as frail, helpless, and delicate. Women have been viewed as dependent, emotional and passive. Women are supposed to always look put together. Heavy emphasis is put on their looks and how they present themselves. Women are thought to be weaker than men. Women are thought to have only jobs that require little to no manual labor.

     My personal experiences do not support these stereotypes. I am not dependent. I am not passive; but quite the opposite. I am not frail or delicate. In fact, I was once a firefighter. I can be a high maintenance type of girl and sometimes I can throw my hair up in a ponytail and go.

I know women who work in construction and I know men who cannot handle manual labor. I know men who make better parents than women do. We are each an individual and there is no clear way either gender should be.

     I would like to change all stereotyping. But, in reference to this question, I would like to change that women are viewed as frail. Not all women are frail, weak, passive, etc. Women should not be viewed as a damsel in distress needing to be saved. 

Plagiarism:

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Family of 1950’s vs. Family of Now

Family of 1950’s vs. Family of Now

     Along with the reading in the book, I also interviewed my grandmother. My grandparents were married in 1950 and their two children were born in 1954 and 1956.

     In the 1950’s, the male was the breadwinner while the wife stayed home and cared for the home and children. Now, families are two –income or sometimes it is the wife that is the breadwinner and the husband stays home.

     In the 1950’s, everyday life was more family oriented. The everyday life of today’s family involves parents’ working (both parents, long hours, even sometimes parents working away from the home city or state), television, computers, video games, etc. My grandmother told me stories of my father, uncle and their cousins always being together and playing at each other’s houses and weekends away at the family beach cottage. She notices that my children prefer television, computers, video games, etc.

     In the 1950’s, the divorce rate was low (around 9%). In today’s family, the divorce is common (around 45%). My grandmother commented that in the 1950’s, it was expected of you to work out your marital problems. Divorce was reserved for major, irreconcilable problems. Today, many couples just throw their arms up in defeat at the hint of a problem. Divorce is much more common now and many times could probably be worked out.

     I asked my grandmother the question, “Which family is better: the 1950’s family or the family of now? And Why?” Her answer was the 1950’s family because the values have changed too much.

     In my opinion, both families have their advantages and disadvantages. I think that today’s family is better in regards to family roles. The role of the woman has changed tremendously and for the better. It is now acceptable for women to work outside of the home and even be the breadwinner. It is also now acceptable for the man to stay home and take care of the kids and such while the women work. However, I tend to agree with my grandmother that the values of marriage and family have changed; and not for the better. While some of today’s population does still have the marriage and family values of the past, others do not. 

Plagiarism:

Using someone else's work without giving proper credit, is plagiarism. If you use my work, please reference it.