Gender roles are the biggest problem related to human sexuality in America because it limits peoples’ ability based on their gender. Gender roles are the attitudes, values and behaviors considered appropriate by the society for both female and male. Gender roles have been in existence since time in memorial and have been used to define the position of both men and women in the community. Traditionally men were given leadership and hard roles because they were deemed as strong and superior to women. Women on the other hand were expected to take up the simple roles such as cooking and taking care of their homes. The society placed these roles on both genders and individuals who stepped out of these gender role boundaries were deemed as outcasts in the community. centuries have passed since these gender roles were devised and implemented in various societies and even with advancements such as technology, industrialization and globalizations a large part of American society still holds on to the traditional gender roles. Gender roles are the biggest problem related to human sexuality because they make it hard for individuals to live their lives the way they would want to.
The belief in gender roles has made it difficult for some Americans to embrace change. In a traditional home, a man is expected to be the breadwinner while the woman is expected to be the home maker (Lindsey, 2016). Men have over the years invested their time in careers so as to make a living for themselves and their families leaving little time to spend with their loved ones. Women on the other hand spend their days taking care of their homes thus making it hard for them to pursue education and even career. Prior to world war I women were not allowed to hold paying jobs and it is only after their occurred a shortage of men working in industries that women were allowed to hold jobs as nurses, drivers and making ammunition among others. However, after the war was over, many women were laid off to make room for the men who had come back after the war (Greenwald, 1990). Despite having shown that they were capable of holding the same positions as men in industries the society was not ready to change their stand on gender roles. It is the inability to see that gender does not limit individuals’ ability that slowed down economic development for the country as well as for the women.
By embracing traditional gender roles, the society helps rise generations that are biased about human sexuality. The belief that men are strong and able while women are weak and in need of protection were shaped by the gender roles devised and adopted by traditional societies. America despite being one of the most developed and has a high number of educated people still has a high masculinity index. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the United States is a masculine culture with a score of 62% (Hofstede & Arrindell, 1998). A masculine culture is one where men values such as assertiveness and competitiveness are highly preferred compared to women values such as caring and honesty. Many leadership positions in organizations in the United States are held by men while women hold lower positions which indicate that many Americans still believe that men are more capable than women. In the education sector, there are many men earning degrees in fields such as medicine and physics compared to women and this is because women have over the years been made to believe that such disciplines were a preserve for the men (De La Rey, 2005). The society has made it possible for men to become empowered while women are made to believe they are weak.
Gender role problem can be fixed by changing the narrative that men and women are abled differently. One of the ways that the existing picture about men being strong and women being weak can be changed is through empowering both genders. Lawmakers can help by developing and passing laws which will encourage equality in the future but at the present favor women to be in leadership positions. The government has to make space for more women in its administration so that gender role barriers can be broken.
Moreover, the society needs to be educated about gender and the fact that anyone is capable of doing anything despite their gender. Media has been one of the enforcers of gender roles by portraying women as objects that are to be desired and possessed by men (Krijnen & Van Bauwel, 2015). Media has to produce films and even adverts which showcase women as leaders in their fields and not necessarily in need of saving and protection by men. Schools need to teach children that they are all capable of pursuing their dream careers and that gender cannot limit them. Parents who play the biggest role in enforcing gender roles even without knowing need to raise their children with the knowledge that they are all capable of pursuing their dreams. Parents can achieve this by not dividing tasks to their children based on gender or buying them gender specific toys.
Gender roles are the biggest problem related to human sexuality in America because they lead to self-doubt. Men are raised to be strong and leaders while women are raised to be home makers and soft. Inability to end gender roles has slowed down economic freedom for both the country and many females. Moreover gender roles have led to generations of people who are biased about human sexuality. Gender roles problems can be fixed through devising and implementing laws which encourage equality. Moreover, the society needs to change their attitude about gender roles and bring up generations which will believe in pursuing their dreams despite their gender.
References
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Hofstede, G., & Arrindell, W. A. (1998). Masculinity and feminity: The taboo dimension of national cultures. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publcations.
Lindsey, L. (2016). Gender roles : a sociological perspective. London: Routledge.
De La Rey, C. (2005). Gender, women and leadership. Agenda, 19(65), 4-11.
Krijnen, T., & Van Bauwel, S. (2015). Gender and media: Representing, producing, consuming. Routledge.
Greenwald, M. W. (1990). Women, war, and work: The impact of World War I on women workers in the United States. Cornell University Press.