What are the real roles of men and women?
In traditional societies, this question is a little simpler to answer. For example, in hunting and gathering societies, women were solely responsible for childbirth and childcare. It was impossible to go down to the store and purchase formula to feed your child. As a result, children were dependent upon breast milk. This meant that any task that required someone to leave the camp was left up to the men.
In American society, where women have achieved much more equality, do you think that traditional gender roles still exist? Ultimately, in America today, women can do anything a man can do. However, many of the traditional gender role ideas still run deep in our society.
A gender role is a theoretical idea; it refers to a set of social and behavioral norms that, within a specific culture, are widely considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific gender.
When one considers the day-to-day functions of the family, there are two types of tasks that must be identified: instrumental and expressive tasks.
Expressive tasks include building relationships, nurturing, and making the social connections needed in a family and society. In today's world, women perform both instrumental and expressive tasks and typically do them well. However, the traditional role of the woman is to focus on the expressive tasks because gender roles tell us women are more equipped for a nurturing role.
Instrumental tasks are goal directed activities which link the family to the surrounding society, geared toward obtaining resources. This includes economic work, bread winning, and other resource-based efforts.
Expressive tasks are those that pertain to the creation and maintenance of a set of positive, supportive, emotional relationships within the family unit.
One perspective of traditional roles can be found in looking at the breadwinner and the homemaker.
A breadwinner is a parent or spouse who earns wages outside of the home and uses them to support the family.
A homemaker is typically a woman who occupies her life with mothering, housekeeping, and being a wife while depending heavily on the breadwinner.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution both males and females combined their local economic efforts in homemaking. Most of these efforts were cottage industry-type where families used their children's labor to make products they needed, such as soap, thread, fabric, and butter. When the factory model of production emerged, the breadwinner and homemaker became more distinct. Just like with instrumental and expressive tasks, men and women are able to be both breadwinners and homemakers. However, considering the traditional gender roles, women are more often associated with the homemaker role.
Consider a recent example of the progressively changing role of women still clashing with traditional roles;
In the presidential election of 2008 the U.S. not only had a serious female candidate for president in the primary election in Hilary Clinton, but there was also a serious vice presidential candidate during the official election in Sarah Palin. After accepting John McCain's invitation to run as his vice-president, Palin was asked how she could be a mother and vice-president at the same time. Sarah responded that this was an unfair question. She went on to say that nobody had asked the other vice presidential candidate that question and he is a father.
Sarah Palin was asked about being a mother because she was a woman seeking a powerful role traditionally dominated by men, and, as a result, rather than empowering the role of women, some viewed it as if she was abandoning her traditional "expressive" or "homemaker" roles as a woman.
It is important to recognize that gender roles are specific for the time and society in which they exist. For example, 50 years ago if a man chose to be a preschool teacher, a nurse, or a stay-at-home dad, it would have been seen as weak or feminine. Now, society does not tend to overthink a male making this choice. The same goes for the career choices of a woman. It is not uncommon to see women in leadership roles or executive positions in a company.
Some gender roles are rigid and will most likely stay that way for a long time. For example, basic roles like clothing, appearance, and behavior are all male or female specific. If we do not fit into our gender expectation, we may face a great deal of ridicule or criticism, particularly at a young age. Gender roles are a reality of the world in which we live and arguably are some the most important roles that we follow day in and day out.
