Week #2 original post

So, this week, let's examine our gender roles? How come so many of us adhere to gender roles in this day and age? IF men and women are moving towards equality in relationships, workplace, etc. how come we still adhere to masculine and feminine roles? My husband and I both are college professors, yet, the distribution of work around the house is still not evenly divided. I am still taking on the role of cleaning, childcare, organizing the home, shopping. My husband does his "manly" duties but, does significantly less around the home...yet, we both teach/work full time? How is it that as a gender communication instructor that I am caught up in these roles? Do you find yourself stuck in old fashion gender roles? Or, perpetuate their existence in your life, family, work, school? Do these roles help us understand ourselves better, and promote our personal goals or inhibit our growth? Are they barriers to our society or merely means to civility? How are you playing out gender roles in your life?

I think it's very easy for all of us to perpetuate the gender roles dictated by society for our sex. I feel that changing our gender roles takes a constant awareness and a tremendous amount of effort. Constant bombardment from all sides with pressure to be feminine if we are female and masculine if we are men provides little room for creating our own gender.

For the record, I am 27, engaged and live with my fiancee. I do find that to some extent, I am stuck in the traditional feminine role that I was socialized to be. I obsess over my weight, I have a poor self-image and I'm constantly "counting calories." I strive for perfection when it comes to appearance. I love to cook and my house is always clean. I do the grocery shopping and take care of the cat (he's like our child!). I take care of the dry cleaning and laundry, pay the bills and send out birthday cards. I do all of these tasks without blinking an eye in addition to school and working full time. I don't know how to change a tire, and I do not have enough upper body strength to shovel 12 inches of snow. I don't know how to create a wireless network or hang a ceiling fan. These are all masculine tasks that Dan is responsible for. I find that I have the same expectations of other men and women. For instance, I have a female co-worker who doesn't like to cook and find it abnormal.

At work, I smile and am approachable. Guests and visitors to our office often call on me for assistance. My co-workers often tell me that I smile and make eye contact too frequently.

I feel that gender roles are only as inhibitory as you allow them to be. The textbook reading has caused me to do a lot of self-reflection and reflect on my relationships with members of both sexes. I think they can allow us to understand ourselves better if we are aware of them, how they develop and how they affect our lives. Knowledge stimulates personal growth.