CHANGING GENDER ROLES

INTRODUCTION:
Education and employment go hand in hand now a day in order to become financially
successful in life. These are two unmistakably major parts of society today. In order to become
successful a good job is needed, and in order to get the job a good education is needed as well. But
women especially need to emphasize more in these two subjects than men; due to past gender
discrimination which brought on Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and challenges dissimilar
from mens: such as physical problems which effect their earnings, and that change their education
habits.
Aspects of the male and feminine roles have been easily tied together under the socialconstructs heading for many years. The inter-relationship of both genders is a root cause for these
social-constructs. Social-constructs have been placed into a hierarchical social system and invented
and/or constructed by a number of different participants, who are already part of the system. Gender
roles are currently changing as women are adopting masculine traits and have joined the bandwagon
of their male counterparts to work where males have shown their dominance in the past.
The normal characteristics that relate to femininity are softness and tenderness, prompting society to
perceive a delusional falsehood that women are weak, unable to defend themselves. In a normal world
it is accepted that muscular capabilities of men and beauty regimes of woman are not prone to change
because these traits are usually inborn and/or developed.
Gender roles play a major role in todays society and have throughout history. They are
introduced at birth through several socializing agents. Gender roles have determined who will
complete nearly every task in our society ranging from who will join the workforce to who takes care
of the household. Society also tells what traits each gender is supposed to follow. Although it is
traditionally assumed that males are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers, times have
changed as men and women have started to share both of these responsibilities.

ALEX THIOS VIEWS ON GENDER ROLES:

According to Alex Thio, gender roles are defined as attitudes and behavior that a society
expects of from males and females. The females were to comfort and take care of her husband and
children and the males were to work outside the house to provide for his family. The family, the peer
group, the school, and the mass media are all socializing agents in deciding what our gender role
should be. Sexism is prejudice and discrimination based on ones gender. Women have combated
against this sexism with feminism saying that women and men should be equal in various aspects of
their lives. If sexism did not exist in our society then we would reach gender equality.
Alex Thio says women are supposed to be shy, easily intimidated, and passive; men, bold, ambitious,
and aggressive. Women should be weak and dainty; men, strong and athletic. In observing around
the town of Holyoke and in our school it is shown that very few females are shy. All of them are not
afraid to voice their opinion or start conversations with males. Women are not as weak and un-athletic
as everyone once thought of them as. Today several females are in the weight room lifting to be
stronger and they are competing in more sports than ever before. Not all males are strong and athletic
some never play sports and some women are stronger than most males. Traditionally women are
supposed to be shy, weak, and un-athletic while the male is strong and athletic, but this is starting to
change to be the opposite.
There are three different types of families: the traditional family, the mixed family, and the egalitarian
family. Heidi Boon and others say traditional home-maker/breadwinner type is a household in which
the husband only works and his wife runs the home. The mixed type is a household in which the
wife's work is less absorbing than the husband's, and therefore, she takes on more of the household
tasks and looks after the children. In an egalitarian type household, both male and female partners
have equally absorbing work; household tasks and looking after the children are shared equally.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION (EEOC):

The year 1964 was a turning point in Americas history when the Civil Rights Act was passed
making it illegal to discriminate during the hiring, promoting, or firing process of a job because of
their sex, race, color, and religious preference. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) was passed afterwards making a persons sex an occupational qualification for a job. This
made it easier for women to get out of the kitchen and seek jobs opportunities with ease not fearing
being rejected or bad mouth. The Act also lead to programs of affirmative action helping not just
women but all people when they too are victims of discrimination. It did that by giving the victim a
larger voice in a court of law against a large company or organization. This gave way to a large
population growth of women in the work force, nearly doubling in just 50 years. In the 1950s about
one in three women worked. This number jumped to three in five women by the year 2000. In 1990
women made 45 percent of the work force. And in 2000 it raised 3 percent and now women make up
48 percent of the work force while makeup men 52 percent.
Experience has shown society that females can often match the male when it comes to living
with and understanding pressure; men have fallen short when it comes to dealing with more pressure
than their female counterparts. Gender roles continue to change as this is how individuals develop
over a given period of time. Due to the negative role developed because of the assumption that an
individuals gender dictates his or her dominance in society, change must take place.
The role of the media in portraying the gender aspects is important since the media makes the
distinction as to what is presented and believed within society. Furthermore, the role played by the
humans in a gender-mode is type of taboo since tends to develop harsh judgments and bitter that
eventually becomes public perceptions. In contrast, gender roles that are being exploited in a
negative fashion by the media and have destroyed the very fiber of society, but can be viewed as
wholesome.
Alex Thio states that school guidance counselors were less likely to encourage girls to go to
college because they were expected to get married. Even if a girl did want to go to college she would
be told not to by everyone since it was not a socially accepted idea. Males show their dominance over
women primarily in the workplace. Today, women want to be more egalitarian to males in the
workplace so they want to get better educations in order to do so. More females have been attending
college than ever before. David G. Meyers claims that since 1970, increasing numbers of women
have been training to become lawyers, doctors, and dentists. Women have begun to be more
egalitarian to men since they are now beginning to further their education.
Alex Thio tells us females can acquire more political power than men. Since female voters
outnumber male voters. If this is so then why did women feel that politics was a male occupation?
Alex Thio answers this question by saying if a woman campaigned vigorously, she would likely be
regarded as a neglectful wife and mother. The thought of that politics was a male occupation has
changed in recent years. More women are becoming politicians than ever before. Hilary Clinton for
instance was running for president not many years ago. If a woman would have ran for president
several years ago than she most likely would have received no votes since it was not socially
acceptable to be a women and be involved in politics. Women are gaining power in the political field,
but are still a ways off from having equal power with the males.
The three sociological perspectives on stratification stated by Alex Theo are the following: the
functionalist perspective says men perform the instrumental role and females the expression role so
that the family can function smoothly, conflict perspective says mens economic and sexual
exploitation of women contributes greatly to gender inequality. Last, the symbolic interactionist says
men tend to be more aggressive and to gain more than women, thus helping to sustain or reinforce
gender inequality.
Society once said that males were to be the only ones to work and that all females could do was to
stay home and take care of the family. Today this has changed to where females have more equal
rights with men. Females have gained in the workforce and in politics. Males now have to help with
childcare more. Society is now starting to become more egalitarian

DAVID G. MEYERS VIEWS ON CHANGING GENDER ROLES:

Males are supposed to be the breadwinners of the family meaning that they go out into society
to find work in order to provide for their family. Women were not to work at all or earn any income
for the family. In some cases the females was not even allowed to leave the house without being by
her husbands side. In a survey, conducted on random couples in the community, I asked who is more
likely to provide for the family the male, the female, or both. Nearly all of the older couples surveyed,
who are now retired, answered the male is to be the one to provide the income for the family. All of
the younger couples surveyed answered that it should be a joint effort by the male and the female to
join the workforce to earn money to provide for the family. According to David G. Meyers in 1938, 1
in 5 Americans approved of a married woman earning money in business or industry. By 1996, 4 in 5
Americans approved. Most people said the reason why it is now acceptable for women to join the
workforce is because of the higher cost of living in our society today. This explains why the younger
couples would want both sexes worker so that they could live a wealthier life. When older couples
where working it did not cost as much too live a decent life as it does today. The older couples lived in
more of a traditional family while younger couples are an egalitarian family. Heidi Boon and others
state today only 9.8% of the population is married couples with children where the husband is the
sole breadwinner. Women also have to work in case if their marriage ends in a divorce. If the
woman loses her husband then she has no way of earning any income and will be poverty or even
homeless. Amy M. Blackstone says because men are expected to be the primary breadwinners for
their families, women often find themselves to be in poverty if their marriages dissolve. With the
women working she does not have to worry ever about having to be in poverty. Women used to not be
allowed to work any, but society now sees that it is socially acceptable if women are in the workforce.
In the traditional family women were the ones who stay home to take care of the children in the
family. Taking care of the children has not changed as much as working, but males have begun to help
with childcare more now. Males have to help with the child care role since the females are not at
home as often since they are most likely working. Some wives work during the night forcing their
husbands to take care of the children during the night making their household more mixed where the
female still has to do most of the childcare, but the husband has to help at times. In my survey of
couples all older couples said that the female was the one to take care of the children. The majority of
the younger couples with children said that it is more of a join effort. There are still some families that
the female is the only one to take care of the children. Child care has drastically changed over the
years from being just a female role to a male and female role.
Since women were supposed to stay home and take care of the family they never had a chance to
further their education by going to college.

DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES IN THE PAST:

The changing social system is a universal factor which also brings change in the status of its
members. Changes in a particular field have an impact in other realms of the society too. An emergent
phenomenon is the growing flexibility and changes in the gender roles of men and women. Early
societies had rigid roles for men and women with attributes were labelled as being masculine and
feminine. Man was considered as provider of basic necessities for family and woman the child bearer
and caretaker of home. Till recently women were accorded the role of the inferior sex and prized
possession of man. The changes and flexibility in gender roles which are being evident today has its
roots in the changing social structure. Economic factors, advancement in sciences and changed value
system have contributed to a preference for nuclear family thus doing away with the concept of joint
family. Consequently the ambit of economic and household responsibilities has changed. Earlier in the
joint family system there was a clear-cut division of responsibilities or duties with women looking
after the domestic matters and the men taking charge of out of home and financial matters. Today the
nuclear set-up allows for no such demarcation the man is no longer the sole bread-winner and woman
no longer a mere caretaker of the house. This is also due to the economic compulsions. With the

financial security provided by joint family system no longer available and cost of living ever
increasing there is a need for an extra earning member to supplement the income of the family. The
women are thus forced to earn as well to meet the cost of domestic demands. In the initial stages of
this phase the women were not offered any help in domestic affairs and she performed both the
supplementary role of an earning member and her natural role of a housewife. Gradually the attitude
of men is changing to a certain extent that men adopted the womans role at least when compulsion to
do so arose. While the acceptance of mans gender role has been willingly taken up by women, the
same does not always hold true for men. The present scenario is still that while a girl is groomed to
become an efficient career woman as well as an efficient house maker, men are expected to excel
mainly in professional fields. The situation is that while any effort from men to undertake a domestic
job is welcomed and assisted by their counterparts, any such effort by women in the professional field
is still seen as a threat to male supremacy. Hence men do not have to struggle hard to prove their
worth, women most of the time has to work harder to prove not just that they are efficient but that
they can work much harder and deliver the results. Lately the domain of feminity has expanded to
include the social and professional fields, traditional notions about gender roles are undergoing
transformation that has been mainly because of education. An open and educated society is paving the
way for role-swapping which seems to be gaining ground in the highly demanding developmental
social structure. Domestic life has become almost unthinkable without flexibility in gender roles.
While men are beginning to shed their inhibitions about working in the kitchen women are already
working late hours. The changing trends are reflected in men and women taking up unconventional
work such as pilots and astronauts while men are honing their skills as chefs and fashion designers.
Changing roles to accommodate the social or professional pressures has become a common
phenomenon. However it is in the urban centres that the flexibility is most evident. The rural society
though in transition has a long way to go in this context. The flexibility in gender roles needs to be
taken to the extent where finally the concept of respective gender roles is done away with.

MALES AND FEMALES NOW IN THE MODERN ERA:

Modern women in India, through education and women's rights movements are beginning to
recognize that a man is not required to achieve fulfilment. Many are now living with partners,

although social norms still dictate this is frowned upon and some celebrity Indian women are opting
to become single mothers. In more modern times it is becoming increasingly regular to see women
enjoying income earning jobs and developing independence. The status of women in India has been
subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient
times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many
reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful. In modern India, women have held high
offices in India including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader
of the Opposition.
As of 2011, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (Lower
House of the parliament) were women. However, women in India continue to face atrocities such as
rape, acid throwing, dowry killings, and the forced prostitution of young girls. According to a global
poll conducted by Thomson Reuters, India is the "fourth most dangerous country" in the world for
women, and the worst country for women among the G20 countries.

NOTABLE INDIAN WOMANS:

Education:
Savitribai Phule was a social reformer. Along with her husband, Mahatma Jotiba Phule, she played an
important role in improving women's rights in India during British Rule. Savitribai was the first
female teacher of the first women's school in India and also considered to be the pioneer of modern
Marathi poetry. In 1852 she opened a school for Untouchable caste girls.
Arts and entertainment
Singers and vocalists such as M.S. Subbulakshmi, Gangubai Hangal, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha
Bhosle and others are widely revered in India. Anjolie Ela Menon is a famous painter.
Sports:
Although in general the women's sports scenario in India is not very good, some Indian women have
made notable achievements in the field. Some famous female sportspersons in Indian include P. T.
Usha (athletics), J. J. Shobha (athletics), Kunjarani Devi (weightlifting), Diana Edulji (cricket), Saina
Nehwal (badminton), Koneru Hampi (chess) and Sania Mirza (tennis). Female Olympic medalists
from India include weightlifter Karnam Malleswari (bronze, 2000), Saina Nehwal (bronze, 2012), and
boxer Mary Kom (bronze, 2012).
Politics:
Through the Panchayat Raj institutions, over a million women have actively entered political life in
India. As per the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, all local elected bodies reserve onethird of their seats for women. Although the percentages of women in various levels of political
activity has risen considerably, women are still under-represented in governance and decisionmaking
positions.

Literature:
Many women writers are prominent in Indian literature as poets and story writers, such as Sarojini
Naidu, Kamala Surayya, Shobha De, Arundhati Roy, and Anita Desai. Sarojini Naidu is called the
nightingale of India. Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize (Man Booker Prize) for her novel The God
of Small Things.

CONCLUSION:
Although many laws in India recognize the equality between the genders, much of the social views
relate to tradition and religion. There is a revolution occurring in India with a massive popularity
growing with women's rights movements, but changing many of the social, religious and traditional
structures may be a slow process.

PRESENTATION
ON
CHANGING GENDER ROLES

Roll No: 38
Register No: 310612107089
Name: Syed Mohammed Raziq
Class: EIE B III year