Men and Women in Contemporary America - Essay Example

number Men and Women in Contemporary America Introduction So much has changed over the years. This is due to the various economic, social and political factors. It is important to note that, over the years, gender roles and expectations have changed a lot. The expectations the society has towards the various genders have also changed. The changing roles have had an effect on both males and females. However, some of the roles have not changed. This paper aims at examining the changing roles of the genders and how it has affected both men and women (Parkin 89). The paper will also look at those roles that have not changed and how it is affecting both male and females. Over the years, gender roles have changed tremendously. Long time ago it was the men who were tasked with the responsibility of fending for their families. Women were never allowed to engage in any economic activities. This has, however, changed due to the rise in the cost of living. Men have now been forced to allow their wives to work so that they can help fend for their families. Some women have even gone further and claimed high managerial positions. Being head of an organization, they have to give out orders to their subordinates. Some of their subordinates happen to be men. This has forced men to accept that women can take up leadership positions in various organizations (Sudha 65). The need for two incomes in a family has forced women to engage in economic activities so that they can be able to compliment the income of their husbands. This has forced women to abandon some of their traditional duties which included taking care of the children, taking care of the home and making sure that everything is in order. When they take up the role of complimenting their husband’s income they are forced to employ, house helps who have now had to play some of the roles of a wife. Cleaning the house, taking care of children and preparing meals are some of these chores. Women have recently left their traditional roles and are now actively involved in economic activities so as to support their incomes. Sometimes women find themselves as the sole bread winners of the family. This has had an effect on their husbands who have to be left at home to take care of children and perform household chores. When the woman is the breadwinner the man is usually forced to take up some of the roles that were traditionally played by women. They are forced to stay back at home and take care of the family. When women are breadwinners in their families, they are forced to abandon some of the activities they used to perform. They are forced to let their husbands to play some the duties they used to perform with the help of a housewife. They will take up the responsibility of providing for their families. This is never an easy task, however, but they are usually left with no other alternatives (Das and Vijay 78). Long time ago women were never allowed to go to school. However, this has become something of the past. The government has made sure that every boy and girl attends school. This is because school equips us with vital skills that vital skills that we can be able to use in the future. School happens to be one of the places where competition is embraced. There are also various levels of education in our educational system. Some women are more educated than men (Wayne 92). That is they are highly qualified when it comes to sourcing for jobs. This has had an effect on men’s egos. They are, therefore, forced to be competitive so as to keep up with men. Recent research has shown that women are highly educated than men. It is high time that men stepped up their game and ensured they are able to compete with women academically. Research has shown that men fear women who are usually highly educated than them. Women who are more learned than men are usually open to numerous job opportunities. This has enabled them to quit some of their traditional roles. As they say, education is the key to success. These women who are more learned than men are successful. They are, therefore, able to hold top positions in various multinational companies. As a result, they are respected members of the society. We are in the 21st century, and America is yet to have a female president. They have been 44 seating presidents in the United States of America, and not one of them has been a woman. This has made men believe that a woman cannot occupy the most powerful seat in the world. Even when a man is running to become president and has a female opponent the man will be sure of having a landslide victory. Men have reason to believe that a woman cannot be able to withstand the pressure of becoming the president of the most powerful country in the world. The fact that no woman has ever been president bothers a lot of female politicians. However, they have not lost hope. Recently, Hillary Clinton, wife of former president Bill Clinton tried to clinch the Democratic Party ticket so that she would run for the presidency (Lewis 32). However, she lost to the eventual winner president Barrack Obama. Female politicians are still eyeing to the presidency, and it is widely believed that come the next general elections a female candidate will make it to the ballot box. Most of them believe a woman can be the next president. A woman who does not shave her body is considered unattractive by most men. They think of it as unwomanly and that it is one of the unforgivable acts (Benthin 67). This because the media through various advertisements have ridiculed women who have not shaved their body hair when advertising hair removal products. While, on the other hand, men do not face this kind of pressure. Men abhor women who do not shave their hair. A recent research has shown that men find women who do not shave their hair as unattractive. Men coerce their wife’s and female friends to shave their body hair. Shaving body hair has been one of the unspoken laws of the land. Some women are up in arms against this law because some find it very uncomfortable when shaving their body hair (Benthin 6). Some of them are also allergic to some of the products currently in the market that are used for hair removal. Some are also not able to afford the hair removal products. Some women feel it is unfair that such an unspoken rule exists while; on the other hand men are not pressure to shave their body hair. They believe that men should be able to accept them in their natural state. Women who do not shave their body hair feel that they are judged harshly and that no one should tell them whom they should lead their lives. Women believe that one is happy living without shaving their body hair then no one should judge their decisions, and they should be treated equally as men when it comes to this issue. The natural process of reproduction requires that a man and a woman should be intimate with on another so that they can be able to reproduce. Men have to ensure that they eat healthy so that they can be able to have enough sperms that are very vital for the process of reproduction. However, it reaches some period the woman starts to be moody all of a sudden. Men find it hard to handle such mood swings (Lee and Amie 43). Women, on the other hand, also have to be healthy so the process can be successful. Women have an extra burden as they are the one to carry the fetus for nine months until birth. During this period women usually have mood swings. It is at these times that a pregnant woman needs to fill loved by everyone around and especially their lovers. Women fill privileged that they bring life to the world. At this time women should avoid taking alcohol and other drugs. It is also very important to make sure that they take drugs that are prescribed for them by the doctors. This is to avoid any complications that might lead to a miscarriage. It is also important that, at the time of birth, the woman should go to a health facility in order to get professional help from trained midwife and also to avoid any complications during the giving birth. It is better being a man in contemporary America than to be a woman. This is because men have better chances than women. Traditionally women have been tried down due some of the roles they play in society (Wertenbruch 20). Women also face a lot of challenges as compared to their male counterparts. Men also have lesser roles as compared to women. Conclusion Gender roles have changed over the years while some have not changed. It is now a common thing to find women engaging in various economic activities to supplement the income of their husbands. This is due to the changing economic times. Some women have also assumed the role of breadwinner for some families. Long time ago women were never allowed to go to school. However, this has changed and research has shown than women are more learned than men. It is disappointing to that despite this there still has never been a woman president in the United States of America. Works cited Benthin, Anja. Redefining gender roles: The Image of Women in Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse'. Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2009. Print. Das, Man Singh, and Vijay Kumar Gupta. Gender roles and family analysis. New Delhi: M.D. Publications, 2008. Print. Lee, Janice W., and Amie M. Ashcraft. Gender roles. New York: Nova Biomedical Books, 2005. Print. Lewis, Vek. Crossing sex and gender in Latin America. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Print. Parkin, Katherine J.. Gender roles in modern America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Print. Sudha, D. K.. Gender roles. New Delhi: A.P.H. Pub. Corp., 2009. Print. Wayne, Tiffany K.. Women's roles in nineteenth-century America. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print. Wertenbruch, Anna. Gender roles and stereotypes in dorothy allison's bastard out of carolina. S.l.: Grin Verlag, 2013. Print. Read More