Wednesday, July 10, 2013
COM 325 / Week Three Discussion: Gender Role and Age
How have gender roles and age grouping changed over the past two hundred years in America? Compared to other cultures in the world, how important are gender roles and age reverence in America? In what way(s) do our gender roles and attitudes toward age differ from that of other cultures?
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Gender roles have changed drastically in most recent years to where they were 200 years ago.
ReplyDeleteMale and female gender roles have constantly changed defining the roles of a man and a woman. 200 years ago, women were not allowed to speak as often as they would have liked to. They were expected to be caregivers, have and raise the children, and take care of the home and do the cooking. Men were seen above women, so they were viewed as the ones who commanded the family and had the final word in what would be done. Women were seen as passive and weak, and not as able to accomplish anything physically or mentally that men could. Women’s rights movement began as early as the mid 1800’s where 68 men and 32 women signed a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined grievances and set agendas for the women’s rights movement. A set of 12 resolutions was adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. That initiated a change for women that continued forward to 1869 where Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, where the primary goal was to establish voting rights for women where there were none.
Gender roles from where they were in the past between men and women have dramatically changed, especially at work and at home. Most recently, studies have shown that women under 29 years old are just as likely as men to want jobs with more responsibility. In 2008, roughly the same percentage of men and women believed in traditional gender roles. Interesting enough, 42 percent of men and 39 percent of women agreed with the statement that it is better for everyone “if the man earns the money and the woman takes care of the home and children”. That statistic was down from 74 percent of men and 52 percent of women who supported traditional gender roles in 1977. Between 1977 and 2008, more men than women have shifted their views on gender roles.
Prior to the Progressive Era, approximately 1895, most extended family lived together in one household. The life expectancy on average was 47 years old versus today. Back then, there were a lot of farms and the whole family worked them together. The health care, technology, cost of living was extremely cheap. As we move forward in time, with technology advancing, not to mention social media and our society, Americans view getting old a bad thing and do whatever they can to stay young and shun the old. Older generations no longer live with their siblings only to end up in a nursing or retirement home. It seems today that our society moves at a much faster pace and doesn’t stop and think of how and who got us there. Compare to for example, when I was employed overseas in Yugoslavia in 2002, I worked side by side with both Albanian’s and Serbian’s in the fire department. Their culture was to live in one large home with every single and extended family member under the roof. All able and working body would contribute to the household whether it be financially or daily chores of cleaning and cooking. It was a mazing and a shock to me to see that versus where I came from where it was the total opposite in America. The older generation was considered as the saying goes “older and wiser”. They were basically treated as the head of household regardless of what they contributed. The same respect is given to many other cultures across the world i.e. Asian and Japanese. Old age brings respect and honor. Older people are turned to for advice and their opinions are valued versus us in America who thinks the opposite. The elderly in most other cultures other than America are treated with respect and positive attitudes and are valued in their society. They are influential both in and out of the families. In Asian cultures, children are taught at a young age that older members of the family are the authority figures.
The gender roles of men and women have changed drastically from 200 years ago. Even just the last one hundred years have held major changes for women. The overall view of women has gone from being viewed as the weaker sex and as such should stay at home, bear the children, raise them, for the home, do the household chores, and be submissive to one’s husband. Today there are still many whom believe that this is still how it should be. I was lucky enough to be raised in Alaska where it is strongly believed that it takes a village to raise a child and for overall survival. There were still very distinct gender roles but it was also very likely that it was the women whom was the bread winner and the caretaker of home and children. The community also worked together to care for the disabled and elderly. The Elders are the holders of wisdom and are appreciated. However the trends of the vast majority of Americans is that the children are the future and should be revered and the aging should be hidden away instead of praised and respected.
ReplyDeleteGender roles have changed significantly in America especially for females. The male gender role has changed very little and they are still considered the bread winner and protector of the family. Women’s gender roles started to change during WWII when women went to work in the factories to keep things moving along after the men went to war. Prior to that time, women were meant to stay at home and take care of house and family. Now the majority of women works outside of the home and add significantly to the economics of the household. Men and women share the responsibilities of house and family now.
ReplyDeleteWhen you compare America’s gender roles and age reverence to other cultures, I feel that America has grown with regards to gender roles but have dropped the ball on age reverence. Our elderly are left to die in nursing homes and the family just keeps on going without a thought. Our elderly should be taken care of in their home and treated as a family treasure. Most other cultures still have this happening and think of America’s treatment of their elderly as the worst thing possible that could happen. I happen to agree with their thoughts.
Gender Role and Age
ReplyDeleteHow have gender roles and age grouping changed over the past two hundred years in America? Gender roles have taken a turn in a lot of cultures, women take control of things now, compared to in the 1900’s when men told what the women were allowed to do, what they were allowed to say, even down to what they wear. Women now are allowed to vote, work in a man’s job, go to war, fight the battle that men do, run for president, though we have not had one become presidents but we are getting there. How important are gender roles and age reverence in America? Still to this day there are some religions that don’t allow the women to speak up, be a woman. Men still treat their wives like they don’t have a mind of their own. This is too all the same in some countries. Women still can’t do things without their husband’s approval, and if they are not married, it’s their fathers say whether or not they can do what they want. A father’s approval is much hard to get then the husbands. In what ways do our gender roles and attitudes towards age differ from that of other cultures? Girls are to do the much harder labor then those of the women’s, because once you have a child, you are supposed to stay at home and be a home maker, please the man by giving them as many children as they want. And make sure that the house is kept. In other culture girls get married at a much younger age, and that seems to be changing every year, the age of marriage is lowering, and could this be due to the girls puberty age? We don’t know that. But when they get married, its time to start making a family. So younger girls who are not married yet, are the ones that are stuck with doing the heavy duties of women’s job. The girls still stay at home with our much of an education in some cultures, and they help their mothers with younger children.