Gender Double Standards

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Particularly in most common households, daughters are held more responsible and accountable than sons. According to https://www.sun-sentinel.com, “The struggle often overlooked is the one between siblings of different genders. These struggles often center around what seem to be relatively simple topics, such as curfew, borrowing the family car and hanging with friends.” Males are usually praised for engaging in sexual activities while females, on the other hand, are looked upon the wrong way within society. While guys are perceived to having multiple partners, females are name-called for even having one partner. Daughters are usually told to pursue good grades with no distractions upon them, while sons are given the perception of playing sports, such as football or basketball, without giving much stress on maintaining grades.

Although every household is different, stereotypically, females are taught to cook, wash dishes and keep the house clean while the male is not usually given these instructions. I have seen it with my own eyes around my family. Years ago, when I was at my grandmother’s house for a family gathering, after everyone had eaten, I was told to wash the dishes, however, my male cousins who are around my age, were relaxing and watching the football game while I had to clean. While washing the dishes, in the back of my mind I was thinking, “Why am I always told to clean, but my cousins are never told to?” Although I never asked my parents personally, or anyone else, I always knew it was the traditional way of living. Girls are usually given household chores, while guys are given outside or more “masculine” chores such as taking out the garbage or mowing the lawn. This was common from generation to generation.

Despite the encounters I had at an early age, I still could never understand why it had to be this way, however, when you are given an order by an adult, you learn to never question it. I was raised that way by my parents, and so were they by my grandparents. Because of this reasoning, I kept my curiosity to myself and I did as I was told. Www.thenation.com states, “A variety of studies have found that girls are asked to do more work around the house than boys. One study found that girls did two more hours of chores a week while boys got twice as much time to play. This dynamic carries a lesson for both genders: girls learn that housework falls on their shoulders, and boys learn that girls will clean up after them.” Due to this concept that society has portrayed women to do more housework than men, it is ‘normal’ that the male sits around and relaxes, while the female does household work, takes care of the babies, and cooks, as well. In addition, women are taught to prioritize compared to men. At a younger age, grades, chores, and curfew are more strenuous on females than males.

Consequently, this creates jealousy between siblings, as well as a love-hate relationship between parents and their children. Even though every generation is different, I believe that this stereotype will always be around that females are held to a higher standard than males. As a human population, we should cease the way this particular gender role is set in place, and create a more equal environment for sons and daughters. All in all, when I conceive children, both my son and daughter will be taught the basics of doing chores, prioritizing, and the stereotypes will not be held against them in my household. Overall, gender roles play a certain dynamic in society, and will always be around, however, that does not always mean it should be acceptable within this modern time period.