Know your role

As a sociologist I learned a lot of things about gender roles and how they define a culture. Gender roles are not only cultural but also personal. They define you as a person more then you think. Gender Schemas are deeply embedded in our cognitive abilities of what defines femininity and masculinity. In some cultures gender roles are so important that you can be killed for not up holding your gender roles. For example in some parts of the middle east a women can be shunned or killed (honor killings) for having sex before she is married. It is a total disrespect to the family. On the other hand a male has the ability to sow his wild oats. In some families here in the states it's the same way. I will use my family as an example. Boys leave their mess in the streets girl's bring their messes home. I don't know how many times I have heard that statement from various family members. So I said all of that to say this. How important are gender roles to you?

As I embark on different relationships with different people I have learned that people view gender roles very differently. I am a firm believer of traditional gender roles. I think that a woman's duty is in the home, she is suppose to take care of the children and all the house hold duties, including but not limited to the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry and so forth and so on. Now I am fully aware that not every women will agree with me here, but it's my blog I can write about what I want to. On the flip side of this I believe that a man's place is to provide for everything that I don't take care of. For example I should never have to take the trash out or put gas in my car. The lawn should always be pristine and if something is broken in the house either he should be able to fix it or call someone that can. I also think that it is important for a women to have a career, do I think all this is possible for someone who has a demanding career no but I think that for the most part all these things can be achieved with the right kind of team work.

I often wonder why I have these traditional gender roles and others don't. Well I grew up in a household were traditional gender roles were the norm. My grandmother cooked three meals a day, packed my grandfather's lunch and worked a full time job at the mental hospital. My grandfather built the house we lived in with his own two hands and the help of some of his brothers. Whenever anything was broken my grandfather would fix it. No questions asked my grandmother would say Mack, the washing machine has gone out and my grandfather would be talking the machine apart. When he was finished grandma always had him a cold glass of water(at this time we didn't have central air or heat) or something to eat. Every Saturday the women of the house including me would get up and clean the house, my grandfather would be outside sharpening tools, mowing the lawn, caring for the animals, and working on the cars. Don't get me wrong there were a lot of times I had to take out the trash, gather the eggs from the chicken coop, or even rack leaves. This was because I was a child earning her keep in my house. If I had a brother I am pretty sure I would have earned my keep in other ways.

With all that being said I am proud of the way I was raised and I think one day I will enjoy being a wife and mother.

Do gender roles make that much of a difference in the relationship you are currently in? Have gender roles caused issues in any relationships you have been in? What type of Gender roles do you see yourself in are they like mine or totally different?

That's all for now folks and as always I am still a Southern Girl Living in the Big City

Peace and Blessings!