Gender Roles in Society

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Gender Roles in Society Society places ideas concerning proper behaviors regarding gender roles. Over the years, I noticed that society's rules and expectations for men and women are very different. Men have standards and specific career goals that we must live up to according to how others judge. Career goals are based on predetermined ideas of gender roles. I have been more than qualified for many jobs, but have lost them to women who are less capable. Jobs such as retail often choose women over men due to a stereotypical idea that women are more affable than men. Members of this society must learn what the appropriate way for them to behave is and what to expect of themselves and others. Growing up, gender roles were set on me as I played with fire trucks and cars, and my sisters played with Barbie's. The types of movies we watched were different and the types of books we read were also different. It would be thought of as bizarre for me, a male, to cry during Titanic, or to read Cinderella. Going through my years in high school, I noticed that the guys who played sports got more attention than the ones who did not. We are expected to be athletic and good in many sports. Playing a musical instrument or acting was thought of as feminine and that idea made it difficult for many males to be involved in those activities. Being a man, I have to be strong and tough through many situations. We cannot show many of our feelings like woman do because we will be considered weak. When my great grandfather died about four years ago, my sisters and my mother were crying, but my father, my brother and I were expected to stay strong and not cry. Although I wanted to break down, I held it in due to the expectation my family and other people had for me as a man. Women and men are allocated to a gender role and we all must act out the masculine or feminine behavior as arranged by our society and our culture. Femininity is usually associated with traits such as emotionality, cautiousness, collaboration, common sense, and fulfillment.

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