Modern Day Gender Roles

For centuries now, women have been bombarded with an infinite amount of conflicting and overwhelming messages about what it means to be a woman and which behaviors are considered appropriate, especially regarding sexual behavior. Traditionally, women have always been defined in relation to men. Men are seen as strong, while woman are seen as weak. Men are superior and women are their subordinates. This is exemplified by the fact that “masculine” traits such as strong, non-emotional, and competitive are considered socially desirable traits, while “feminine” traits such as docile, emotional, and passive are not. We evidently live in a society that is not only sexist, but also undoubtedly racist. The white woman typically appears as virtuous and pure, while the woman of color typically appears as unclean and tainted. If the woman of color also happens to be poor, she appears as being even more worthless. Therefore, in the United States, femininity as a concept is inextricably linked with concepts of race and class. In the present paper, I discuss the effect that this is having on women and their sexuality, the events that have paved the traveled path towards gender equality, and current issues plaguing women today, such as the attack on our reproductive rights and our value as women.

Gender roles became so complex in the twentieth century due how society has changed what men and women should be like. Men take being strong and independent as a God given right to them, while females on the other hand have had to work their way up in order to be titled independently strong. From growing up to early adulthood I faced the conflict of constantly worrying about how society wants me shape myself as a dependent and self-confident which was the complete opposite of me.

Gender roles are basically “society norms” It tells types of behaviors that are considered acceptable for a person based on their sex. The expectations include of how a person should act, dress, and talk.

The concept of idealized gender roles has long been a subject of curiosity for scholars who study historical reenactment. Reenactments rely heavily upon gender divides between the feminine and the masculine. Handler and Saxon (1988) suggest that authenticity in the reenactment hobby is a suspicious pursuit at best, because true subjectivity and “mindsets” cannot be replicated (245). Mitchell D. Strauss (2005) also considers authenticity in his critique of Confederate reenactors and the (in) appropriate expression of whiteness. Building off of similar themes, Stephen J. Hunt (2005) further proposes that the performances of idealized gender roles, then, becomes a method through which reenactors stake a claim on authenticity and become embroiled

The Twentieth Century proved to be a strident and unstable time for mankind around the world as global warfare loomed upon the midst of the people. World War I resulted in more than nine million deaths, contributing significantly to the lack of purpose and drive by citizens around the world who experienced the war. The disillusionment felt by the people who lived through the war saw pointless death on a global scale, a loss in faith and traditional values like courage, patriotism, and masculinity. Some, in turn, became aimless, reckless, and focused on material wealth, unable to believe in metaphysical ideals. Gender roles, presented along with the destruction of the warfare and images of masculinity, where spoiled. A group of expatriate writers,

Though Hannah Höch may be a jack-of-all-trades in the art realm – having dabbled in painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles, pattern making, and photography - she certainly is a master of collage. A German artist of the 20th century, Höch is primarily known for her turbulent romantic relationship with Czech artist Raoul Hausmann, one of the founders of the Berlin Dada movement. Hausmann credited himself and Höch as the inventors of photomontage. Höch uses her collages to comment and critique the unstable sociopolitical state in Germany at the time. Her collages also highlight the growth of mass media and new technology. Perhaps most importantly, Höch challenges the concept of modern femininity and gender roles through her work. As the only female Berlin Dada artist, Hannah Höch takes a unique and important perspective on the social and political changes occurring in 20th century Germany.

Men fix the car and redo the roof, while the women clean the house and watch the kids. Perhaps it is the other way around? Before, gender roles were passed on through generations, but recently things have been changing. Traditional gender roles of men and women are not relevant in today’s society, due to changing times as seen through non-traditional families, more women pursuing higher education, and families being more open-minded.

3. Why is our parent’s depiction of these roles important to how we see ourselves?

Women are often subject to gender roles throughout the world, even in countries that are aggressively striving for gender equality. These misogynistic views have been embedded in cultural values for centuries now, with the majority of societies worldwide being dominated by a patriarchal set of ideals.

Sometimes in our society, gender roles can take over and kids are subconsciously learning that boys and girls must act a certain way, be interested in certain things, and be “masculine” or “feminine.” It’s degrading. Our whole life gender roles are socially constructed as we grow up, but such thoughts become such a norm that it seems to be biologically constructed. In different periods of time gender roles may have been worse or better, or even in some different cultures.

Throughout the years, gender roles have been present in our day-to-day lives and within our households. We were taught from a young age how boys are supposed to behave or carry themselves as well as how girls should act or dress. These views that were instilled in us at a very young age evolved into the gender role opinions most people acquire today. The most common or “traditional” opinion of what the preferred gender roles should be are the man belongs in the work place making the money for the household, while the woman remains at home making along with raising the children and keeping the home clean with a hot meal for when the man returns home. Over a period of time the “traditional” gender roles society obtained began to be questioned

When I was assigned this essay, I thought I don’t know anything about Western tradition. I decided to do a little reading and ask a few people their perspective. I then decided that I would write about the gender roles in Western society and how they are different from gender roles today. So, what is the West? According to our text, the West refers to the Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian traditions. I’m going to explain how in each of those traditions gender roles were influenced. “In Western society, to be ‘feminine’ is to be nurturant, expressive, cooperative, and sensitive. To be ‘masculine’ is to be active, aggressive, dominant, and ambitious.” (Basow, Susan. "Gender Roles." In Women's Studies Encyclopedia, ed. Helen Tierney. Greenwood

In a world that is so modern and fast passed, how can it be that it is stuck on something as prehistoric as stereotypic gender roles? Starting with the caveman to the men and women of the Victorian period and even to now in the twenty-first century, society has imprinted its own idea of what a man and women should be and the what role each should hold in society. The idea of what is appropriate in behavior and how one should act are most likely attributed to what gender they are. In the eyes of society, all are seen with a stereotypic lends. From the toys children are given to play with to how men and women are portrayed in magazines and to what types jobs are seen suitable for women and men to hold. Despite stereotypes playing a prevalent

Traditional gender roles in today’s society are slowly changing and individuals, mostly women are starting to break down that traditional barrier and starting to go their own way and become more open to different things.

Today we live in a world that continually stresses to us that, "All men are created equal." While this sounds great at face value, further inspection tells us that this is far from realistic and sadly may never be. One can examine any aspect of society whether it be race, religion, language, level of education, sexual orientation or economic status and notice that there are numerous characteristics and factors of identity that enable others to treat others differently. This truth may not be pleasant or make one feel all warm and fuzzy inside, however it is our society’s reality, however dismal it may be. Even if the statement above as to the equality of all men were true, how about women? Clearly women have made tremendous strides towards