Women: The Shift In Gender Roles

Gender roles have progressed since the 1950s, and there is now more equality between genders. According to the encyclopedia Credo, “Gender roles are the set of expectations a society has about males and females. These expectations are multifaceted and include specifications about appearance, personality traits, emotions, interests, abilities, and occupations” (Blair and Lenton 1). The majority of people conform to those roles very early on, but sometimes the line blurs between masculinity and femininity. The fifties were known and classified as the era of stereotyping, but as we move forward the equality of the gender roles is more recognized. Women have had to deal with the rubbish of being stereotyped as the least important gender due to

World war II brought with it strict rationing. Food rationing began in January 1940, clothing rationing in June 1941, and soap rationing in February of the next year. ‘Come in and have a both rather than a drink, is the new social gesture’- Vogue at the height of the blitz. Hair washing became a luxury. The magazine recommended once “every ten days for greasy heads, every three weeks for dry ones”, and when Marlene Dietrich travelled to entertain US troops, she brought with her three months worth of dry shampoo. Cosmetics weren't rationed, but might as well have been. Britain saw a 75% decrease on pre war cosmetic output. Metal was needed for armaments, petroleum and alcohol amongst other essential base cosmetic ingredients were needed for wartime products such as foot powder, camo makeup, and anti-gas ointment (see images 3, 4). Gala manufactured lipstick refills: “rescue those old lipstick cases”, “saves money, saves metal, helps win the war, and helps you

From silent short films of the 19th century to full length films of the 1920s, women have played important central roles over time. Women have transitioned from submissive conservative roles to liberal something. A big part of this is due to the view of women changing in history.

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.

Throughout the years and years that society has lived out today, men have undoubtedly been glorified and held in high esteem for their accomplishments, character, and influence. Man has become a symbol of power, with masculinity becing associated with positive attributes such as strength, intelligence, and control. Femininity however, has been regarded as weak, superficial, and vacuous. Such an outlook on gender roles has resulted in an unequal power dynamic and an increasing deprecating view of the woman and her capabilities. Under represented in not only the media but also many governing bodies, women have continually been oppressed and subject to constant misogynstic transgreesions, the results of whcih have not only affected their lives and possible opportunies, but also their self worth and the way they see the worth of others.

Over the years gender roles have changed for both males and females. The duties, behaviors, and activities we perform on daily basics are different from which male and females would have performed years ago. Male gender role or there stereotypes in the United States consist of being muscular, independent, and athletic. Female gender role or there stereotypes are being caring, sensitive, and the caregiver. The gender roles for male and female have changed over the years, originally men’s duties included working all day for their family. They were the family member that brought in the income in for the family. As for the female roles/duties they would stay home, clean the house, take care of the family, and at the end of the day cook dinner.

Gender role is a set of socio-culturally embedded behaviors and attitudes that are identified for men and women (Wood & Eagly, 2010). Gender stereotype roles are changing in the US with shifts in the society’s structure and understanding of gender/sexuality (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010; Tucker, 2005). With such changes in gender role, different issues have surfaced. Among many issues and challenges due to changes in gender role, this paper focuses on implicit forms of discrimination that appear to be more reverent today and a consequence of having less concrete gender expectation. Furthermore, this paper briefly discusses ideas to which may help overcome issues that are results from changes in gender role. Yet, first, gender stereotype role

Gender roles have drastically changed over time, however we still practice some of the same customs, even though times have changed. In the U.S. we used to live in a patriarchal society, patriarchy is defined as “a nearly universal system involving the subordination of femininity to masculinity” (Conley, 2015, p. 288). Men were expected to go out and get a job, while the women stayed at home and tended to the children and household. However, society has changed to a point where women have jobs, men stay home with children, and many people are single parents who do it all on their own.

Throughout the course of history, going from the Puritans to modern day civilization each gender has had a set of societal norms dictating the types of behaviors which are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their actual perceived sex of sexuality. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of femininity and masculinity there are some exceptions and variations.

Society today places many ideals when it comes to proper behaviours regarding gender roles. These are considered societal norms that are widely debated and controversial. Society has created a norm, which encompasses specific expectations and rules that change the daily lives of men and women, giving them specific tasks and behaviours to abide by. These standards are known as gender roles, which are defined as distinguishing actions, thoughts, and feelings of males and females. Gender roles are said to be a result of nature, which is a natural process, every male or female is to follow. On the other hand it can be a result of nurture, which changes ones way of thinking and adapting their lifestyle to fit their environment. Either way gender roles are a part of someone’s life from the moment of their birth, as they develop, and long after that, this proves that gender roles are influential to a person’s life and development. This essay examines how media such as music, family life, and different parenting styles encompass gender roles and teaches behaviours regarding them. Therefore, gender roles define males and females are a result of nurture and not nature.

Throughout history, gender roles have been the foundation that determines the course of a civilization. These gender roles have undergone a change over time. It is important for every society to re-evaluate its preconceived ideas of gender and determine if that is still the norm for their society. When people think of gender roles we typically have set stereotypes in our head of what that means. Much of the time, what we believe, is not what is actually true. It is often argued what is right and what is wrong.

Women’s role within the household has changed considerably over a period of time. In the later days in the United States women were to attend to the children and to the house and not do much more than that. Children are now being raised by stay at home dads instead of the stereotypical stay at home moms. According to Gardner, "Real-life families have changed considerably since 'Mr. Mom ' appeared, with more men sharing child-rearing and household chores." (Gardner 2010) This is occurring because women’s jobs are no longer labeled as being just for women. Men have gotten a lot of criticism for being stay at

1.a Gender roles are how a society believes a man or women should act based on their gender. Each society has its own gender roles, where a man might be expected to do something in one society a woman might be expected to do it in another one. An example of gender roles affecting women is that women are expected to take care of the housework and so they do chores around the house even if they have a job. Men are expected to be the breadwinner and support his family financially. Men are not expected to be as much of a homemaker as a woman and women are not expected to be the main breadwinner of a family. Gender roles offer advantages such as giving a person an idea on how they are supposed to act and what they are supposed to do. However,

A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine,Business and Law. Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have attained power and have been growing in political office.

The division of gender roles is deeply rooted in society. Throughout history men have taken upon the role of independent financial providers plus of course protectors, whereas women have been portrayed as loving wives and mothers, responsible for raising the children as well as housework. Although females and males are far from being equals, the differences between genders are incredibly smaller than in the past. Unfortunately, mass media still use gender stereotypes believing they are well known to their viewers and help them understand the content of the message they are trying to get across.