How we "do" gender, whether we know it or not
Sex Assignment and Gender Roles; What we are taught from the Get Go:
How does sex assignment play a part in gender roles? For one, gender roles are assigned right when we are born. We often look at these two colors, pink and blue, to be one of the very first times that we are exposed to gender roles based on our sex assignment. In the picture above, we see that women are connected with the color pink, often associated with other aspects; makeup, home or caretaker, creativity, etc. Men are then associated with the color blue, combined with aspects of being strong, analytic, hardworking, and doing the labor, providing for the household.
However, sex assignment only plays a part In gender roles because we as a part of society have made it that way. No one ever said, "pink is for girls" and "blue is for boys," that was just made up and somehow emulated to be one of the first gender roles we are exposed to. Although it's not written in stone, we can say it practically is. So when these roles are switched, why is this seen as peculiar or out of place?
"You are a Girl" and/or "You are a Boy" will decide a major part of your life path without you knowing it.
The idea about our sex assignment is this; once we are told we are a girl or a boy we then begin to act the way that we are taught is applicable to our gender. For example, say you are a girl who begins to like toy trucks and cars at a young age. Most people would find this peculiar and would say that toy trucks and cars are only for boys. Similarly, say you are a boy who begins to play with barbies; even if they are boy barbies (like Ken!), this would still be looked at as peculiar. The reason for this is that once you are assigned a certain sex; whether girl or boy, this then determines what is for you, even If you don't know It. From the books you read, the way you dress, act, present yourself, the toys you play with to the way you style you hair or what you shop for, all boils down to a sex assignment.
While thinking about how your sex assignment continues to play a big role in everyones lives, also consider how many everyday things are linked to genders. Go to Target, for example, and look at the girls and boy clothing section. Are there differences and/or similarities? Most of the times in boys sections clothing color is dull, while girls clothing is more bright and loud. You may be shopping online and notice major differences between men and women clothing, placed in categories for a reason.
We must realize that our everyday lives and the way we are taught to act, listen, and present ourselves were given to us once our sex was assigned. Taught to us in society in order to "fit in" to what society believes is "right." This is how we are doing gender, whether we know it or not.
The Problem with Gender Roles in Today's Society:
Gender roles go back years ago, when the traditional family began to look like this:
Role Reversals
The similarities between these pictures are uncanny; the family is of the same race. They are all white, they have two kids; a boy and a girl, and the wife is seen doing chores, while the husband is seen going to work. If you look up, "Traditional Family" or just "Family" on Google, all these photos come up. The problem with Gender Roles in our society is the idea of how a perfect family should be placed. When you start to think a wife should stay home and a husband should go to work and provide for the family, many people start to degrade the authenticity and success of a family when it doesn't look like the ones above.
In the picture above by the 2014 article, "What Does it Mean to be Called a Dad Anyways," the article talks about how the roles of a man and woman have spread equally between roles over the years in families. The photo is captioned, "A traditional family, where you can see the clearly defined gender roles: father works, mother cares for the home. These were the accepted cultural values until recently" (2014). The article further explains that nowadays, you see father's learning to change a baby's diaper, buy the groceries, and equally help their wives in raising the child and the wellbeing. Similarly, we see that women have transitioned into the workforce, there are many successful women like CEO of companies and business owners. Think of these three successful Wojcicki sisters. CEO of Youtube, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of 23&Me Anne Wojcicki, and professor at UCSF Jane Wojcicki. All have independently strived to be successful in the workforce, contrast to what a traditional family would appeal to.
Gender roles like these also perpetuate the Idea that women are not worthy to be successful and be the providers in the family, while men are "weak" are not as "strong" if they do not fulfill the needs of providing for the family financially.
How do Gender Roles effect Today's and Future Generations?
According to a 2017 article, "Gender Roles and its Effects on Today's Society," Susan Ikegwu speaks upon the use of gender roles in today's society and how she personally, along with others, feel about the stigma of gender roles that have lingered for decades and centuries.
Ikegqu says, "In my case, I hated cooking. Not because of a lack of skill, but purely because I just did not enjoy it. I preferred to clean and wash, this was still not enough. I was criticised by society, they said I was not homely, that I was not good wife material. They also added that ‘’every woman’s primary responsibility, is to cook and enjoy doing it’’. At a tender age I was annoyingly asked “Who will cook for your husband if you don’t?’’. Who is this mystical husband and what is wrong with his two hands and two legs that he can’t cook for himself?" (Ikegwu, 2017).
She further explains that these expectations that are embedded In society become a part of our lives. Our families start to withhold those expectations on us based on our gender. From why we aren't wearing a dress to a wedding, why we aren't married yet, or for men; why they don't have a job or how much money they make. To see gender differently than how society has taught us is to really embed ourselves with the idea that it doesn't matter what sex we were assigned. Whether we were assigned male or female, we should be able to dress whatever way we like, marry whoever, and be who and whatever we want.
Ikegwu ends with this, ‘’The problem with Gender Roles is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognising how we are’’. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The similarities between these pictures are uncanny; the family is of the same race. They are all white, they have two kids; a boy and a girl, and the wife is seen doing chores, while the husband is seen going to work. If you look up, "Traditional Family" or just "Family" on Google, all these photos come up. The problem with Gender Roles in our society is the idea of how a perfect family should be placed. When you start to think a wife should stay home and a husband should go to work and provide for the family, many people start to degrade the authenticity and success of a family when it doesn't look like the ones above.
In the picture above by the 2014 article, "What Does it Mean to be Called a Dad Anyways," the article talks about how the roles of a man and woman have spread equally between roles over the years in families. The photo is captioned, "A traditional family, where you can see the clearly defined gender roles: father works, mother cares for the home. These were the accepted cultural values until recently" (2014). The article further explains that nowadays, you see father's learning to change a baby's diaper, buy the groceries, and equally help their wives in raising the child and the wellbeing. Similarly, we see that women have transitioned into the workforce, there are many successful women like CEO of companies and business owners. Think of these three successful Wojcicki sisters. CEO of Youtube, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of 23&Me Anne Wojcicki, and professor at UCSF Jane Wojcicki. All have independently strived to be successful in the workforce, contrast to what a traditional family would appeal to.
Gender roles like these also perpetuate the Idea that women are not worthy to be successful and be the providers in the family, while men are "weak" are not as "strong" if they do not fulfill the needs of providing for the family financially.
How do Gender Roles effect Today's and Future Generations?
According to a 2017 article, "Gender Roles and its Effects on Today's Society," Susan Ikegwu speaks upon the use of gender roles in today's society and how she personally, along with others, feel about the stigma of gender roles that have lingered for decades and centuries.
Ikegqu says, "In my case, I hated cooking. Not because of a lack of skill, but purely because I just did not enjoy it. I preferred to clean and wash, this was still not enough. I was criticised by society, they said I was not homely, that I was not good wife material. They also added that ‘’every woman’s primary responsibility, is to cook and enjoy doing it’’. At a tender age I was annoyingly asked “Who will cook for your husband if you don’t?’’. Who is this mystical husband and what is wrong with his two hands and two legs that he can’t cook for himself?" (Ikegwu, 2017).
She further explains that these expectations that are embedded In society become a part of our lives. Our families start to withhold those expectations on us based on our gender. From why we aren't wearing a dress to a wedding, why we aren't married yet, or for men; why they don't have a job or how much money they make. To see gender differently than how society has taught us is to really embed ourselves with the idea that it doesn't matter what sex we were assigned. Whether we were assigned male or female, we should be able to dress whatever way we like, marry whoever, and be who and whatever we want.
Ikegwu ends with this, ‘’The problem with Gender Roles is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognising how we are’’. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.