Gender Roles in Society

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"Today's girl knows she's supposed to fulfill all the traditional "girl" expectations-- look pretty, be nice, get a boyfriend--while excelling at the "girl skills" of empathy cooperation, and relationship building" (257): This is said by Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkley. This quote shows how some of the things girls are expected to achieve...however it does not show what boys are expected to achieve. Greta Christina wrote the article "5 Stupid, Unfair and Sexist Things Expected of Men", in this article, Greta lists and discusses 5 points: 1. Men are expected to get in physical fights. 2. The contradiction of being a good husband who is caring and supportive but not caring to much about his wife so that he is not "whipped" as his friends would call it. 3. Men are supposed to want sex and be ready for sex all the time. 4. Being tough, showing no emotion. 5. Fear of being gay. The pressure and expectations that society places on men and women are extremely diverse, which causes substantial differences between the two. The expectations of women in today's society are specific and never ending. Stephen Hinshaw wrote the article "The Triple Bind", in which he says that women are expected to be "good at all the traditional stuff", "be good at most of the traditional guy stuff" and "conform to a narrow unrealistic set of standards" (275). I agree with some of his points, women are expected to be able to get a boyfriend, be pretty, be smart, be relational and keep the peace between friends and family yet still be able to get a job, have a career, support themselves, be athletic, assertive and even aggressive. Women are expected to take on roles that were traditionally male roles. Women... ... middle of paper ... ...Why I Want a Wife." The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2011. 263-65. Print. 2. Christina, Greta. "5 Stupid, Unfair and Sexist Things Expected of Men." Alternet. N.p., 24 July 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. 3. Deveny, Kathleen. "Who You Callin' a Lady?" The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2011. 263-65. Print. 4. Hinshaw, Stephen. "What is the Triple Bind?" The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2011. 263-65. Print. 5. Sommers, Christina. "The War Against Boys." The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2011. 263-65. Print.

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