I had mixed notions about what it means to be a woman as I was growing up, and I trace a part of this conflict back to my heritage. My parents are both Chinese immigrants, but I was born and raised in America, so I identify with both cultures. The cultural differences between America and China about what qualities woman should or should not have was interesting to explore, especially as I was entering college. In my parents’ eyes, being a woman meant that I had to eventually settle down and raise children, essentially have my own nuclear family. I began challenging that notion, suggesting the possibility that I would never get married and never have children. I do not believe that just because I am woman that I had to start my own family or get married. That is not to say I am opposed to those life events happening, but I wanted to at least know that those were not my only options, especially if I am pursuing a career after attending college. …show more content…
My parents never told me specifically what I can or cannot do, but it seems like their comments regarding this topic are somewhat unconscious or automatic. Sometimes there would be a woman authoritative figure speaking in front of a crowed for a political broadcast. They would comment about how she lacks charisma, and is too soft spoken for a political career. “This is why men should do this instead,” they would say. Again, I challenge this from time to time. I feel like I have constructed some part of my identity from trying to challenge these notions, even if it was just within the realm of my
Being a woman was always the largest piece of my identity. I focused my attention the oppression that comes with identifying as a woman. I resisted against the ideals of patriarchy and spent time in college starting a club that promoted and supported women in business fields. However, I never stopped to think about the intersection of my identities and how my other identities
In pre-ap english, I interviewed Jacquelyn who is a freshman at Macarthur High School in Lawton, Oklahoma. In our society, we are often subjected to gender roles. Gender roles is the act of assigning certain emotions or behaviors to men or woman. In response to finding out what gender roles actually are, Jacquelyn does not agree with the idea of them and states that people should “be able to do what they want.” Gender roles often prevent us from being the person we want to be. For example, if a guy were to wear makeup there are people who would judge him harshly and possibly even outcast him, simply because they believe women are the only ones who can wear makeup. Same thing goes for women, like if a girl wanted to play football many would
In 1587 Eleanor Dare started a history of first New England’s female settlers. In XVI-XVII century it was characterized more with dismal end then with a story of prosperous life and happy ending. Coming to New World mostly in search for a good partner, as “tobacco brides” or being simply deported as undesirable citizens, women died from starvation, malaria or Indian attacks. Some women sailed across the ocean as indentured servants and suffered from the cruelty of their masters. There were, of course, stories of success such as with the Brent sisters. Unmarried, they ran Maryland colony during crises. Margaret Brent became to be known as the nation’s first lawyer and the first colonial woman who demanded the right to vote.
In Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan writes about women 's inequality from men to women 's equality to men, while also writing about women accepting the inequality to women and then fighting for equality. Friedan encourages women to find worth outside of the home and explore her possibilities but, “for the sake of every member of the family, the family needs a head. This means Father, not Mother. Children of both sexes need to learn, recognize and respect the abilities and functions of each sex. He is not just a substitute mother, even though he 's ready and willing to do his share of bathing, feeding, comforting, playing. [...] If in that world he is interested, courageous, tolerant, constructive, he will pass on these values to his children” (Friedan 99). Friedan is attempts to tell her readers that no matter the circumstances, men are “handed” power when they’re assigned their gender and they dominate the world in every aspect- jobs, politics and at home. Since the beginning, women, believing they didn 't have any other choice, would blindly follow their husband, because they were brought up believing when a woman grows up, they are to only marry and have children. “Girls didn 't get excited about things like that anymore. We don 't want careers. Our parents expect us to go to college. Everybody goes. You 're a social outcast at home if you don 't. But a girl who got serious about anything she studied, like wanting to go on and do research would be peculiar, unfeminine.
Women from America have equal rights but sometimes are treated unfairly so one can only imagine the struggle of how Afghan women are treated when the come to America. Although women from Afghanistan who come to America may not be treated fairly or equally all of the time, they are still better off in America than Afghanistan, even before the Taliban seized power. In Afghanistan, married women are often seen as property and can be treated as property by their husbands as well; this also means that they have no voice or freedom to be themselves. While this unfortunately happens in America, sometimes Afghan women who come to America have more freedom and have the ability to be independent and make their own choices. The noticeable absence of women
“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.” (Kramarae 1). As a citizen of America that is Hispanic the idea that men belong in superior roles in workplaces and homes while women do the “simpler” jobs was taught and should be addressed by politicians. For generations, men have been seen as superior to women, to the point where women lose their basic human rights. Women are seen as weak and incapable of doing anything for themselves. However, women have the ability to be independent. While some American and Hispanic people believe women are treated equally and feminism is an excuse for women to “rebel” because they have not experienced discrimination based on their gender, there are some American and Hispanic people, mostly
Throughout United States history oppression of people has always been prominent, whether through African American’s and segregation or Asian American’s during the Vietnam War. What is often ignored is our history of the oppression of women. No matter what time in history, there is always a case to be found of the discrimination over gender. Many people know of how African American’s came into freedom and the long perilous road it took, but few know the struggles, changes and hardships that women have perceived to get where they are today. As the civil war halted and industrialization and urbanization came into play, the role of women changed dramatically and their status
American females tend to be deferential to males in many ways. Females are deferential to male in house hold and workplace. As a parent women take on more responsibility with taking care of the child/children. For example, the women usually get the child/children dress and take them to doctor’s appointment. Today women still prepare most of the meals and clean the house. Also, females are deferential to males in the work place as well. Some places are still judgmental when it comes to female versa males, however the thought is still around that males can handle difficult situations better than females. I do not believe everything is still equal when I comes to men and
Growing up in developing country, girls and women were shunned out to voice out their opinions and ideas. My culture, specifically believed that an ideal woman was someone who agreed to all laws passed by community elders despite their disapproval. For sixteen years that I lived there, my life was directed by the norms of my cultures and their heartless believe that women were worthless compared to men. To them our benefits were acknowledged when we got married and our parents get dowry. Having my own self-concept was out of the question; someone was always there to tell me how I look, what I should do, and whom I should be when I grow up. My life was built on the belief that once I was old enough, I would get sold to the highest bidder and start my own family. My parents on the other hand were not very affluent. My education was bound to stop after eighth grade because the government could not cater free high school education. When I move to the United States, everything shifted, here I have rights of being my own self and make my own decision the way I see fit.
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. Gender roles are never comprehensive, even within a single country, and they are always historically and culturally unpredictable. Gender roles in the United States for one cultural group likely is not true for another cultural group. Similarly, gender roles in the United States have changed drastically over the time period. Gender roles has been the historical evolution from a single family income in which only the male spouse works and generates income, to dual family income or a family in which both spouses generate family income. The shifting gender roles in the past years has been huge. It happened so quickly
Throughout this paper I will be discussing the role of women in the American society. I will reference the importance of gender and gender inequality. The definition of gender aims to clarify for of all the historical framework of the topic, the role of women in the American society. The paper will lead from the role women were given around World War II and then transition into the role women can now choose in the American society today. Addition to the role of women I will also discuss the differences of how the genders are treated in the same places, for example work place. Men and women are culturally molded when referring to gender in the American society. The gender roles play a lead part into how the model family, education, and liberty are. The reason I chose to write about this topic is due to my strong belief that although I don’t agree with the characteristics society gave to gender, I do believe in gender equality.
By American standards, women do not hold any real power. Women currently make less money than men for the same jobs, the United States has never seen a woman president and until the year 1920, American women had not even won the right to vote. Women are notoriously seen as less than: men are doctors, women are nurses, men are football players, women are cheerleaders or men are pilots and women are flight attendants. We live in a culture of gender inequality, always favoring males. However, all cultures are different and in innumerable societies all around the world, women are the ones who, so to speak, hold all the cards. They make the decisions for their families, they are entrusted with greater responsibilities and they wear the pants in their relationships. By enabling the women in these societies to have more responsibility, respect and equality, it strengthens the cultures and traditions expressed by these groups all while
You never hear of the exploits of Wonder Lady, maybe because that doesn’t sound right or cool, but still the point is ladies are neglected their distinguishment from women. Women get all the credit of making life finer, but what about the ladies? Now you may be asking, what is a lady? According to North America lady is another word for women, in the U.K. it is a title given to a woman of noble birth. Which one is correct? Well, both are correct in their own ways because ladies and women share similar characteristics, “similar” but not identical.
My name is Hillary Cohen and I identify as a Jewish straight American woman. I grew up in a Conservative community surrounded by people who were a little more and a little less religious than I was. While growing up, my parents always made sure to let me and my sisters know that we could do anything we wanted to do in life, so long as we worked hard and fought for our dreams. I had never thought much about gender stereotypes, but I inadvertently thought of women as more domestic since my mother stopped working early on and I had always seen
My cultural identity is female. To say this is to identify myself as having personal characteristics pertaining to femininity, as oppose to masculinity. Femininity is often synonymous with sensitivity, passiveness, gentleness, nurturing, empathy, and compassion. My cultural identity as a female has influenced several aspects of my life, including family, social development, education, and health. It affects the roles I take on in my family. It affects how I socialize with other people, shaping personal relationships. It influences my education and health. For example, I was raised with the idea that women are caretakers and must be housewife material. As such, I have taken on multiple roles; I am my parents’ housekeeper, my grandparents’ chauffeur, and my cousins’ sitter. Consequently, this caretaker persona extends towards my social life. For example, I become a “mother hen” with my friends. In one particular case, my friend was drunk and incapable of taking care of herself at a party, so I looked after her until she was well enough to go home. As a woman, my caretaker persona has led to healthy relationships, based on communication and nurturance. In regards to education, I am a psychology major. Psychology is a female-dominant field in academia; this is most likely because psychologists often utilize traits common to females (e.g., compassion, sensitivity, empathy), so women tend to gravitate towards this