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Desiree Shack

Professor Beadle

English 114A

10 March 2017

Gender Roles

If you held up two toys in front of a little girl; one being an action figure and the other

being a princess wand, shed probably pick the princess wand. The reason for this has to do with

children being aware of what gender roles are from an early age. Gender roles are

characteristics that society has assigned to each sex. Generally, there is no scientific basis. These

gender roles are shown largely through the media, with Spongebob being an example.

Spongebob is a cartoon television show created by Stephen Hillenburg and aired on

Nickelodeon. The genre of the show is a childrens comedy. Many counterarguments have been

made against the assumption that Spongebob is a television show that shows gender roles in

society. However, there are many ways Spongebob does show gender starting with how Patrick

and Spongebob team together to become parents. In the book, Composing Gender, authors Claire

Renzetti and Daniel Curran, prove that at an early age children are exposed to gender

stereotypes, in this case, Spongebob, and that it affects their future.

The argument made in Spongebob, about gender, really deals with the fact that men

should go to work while women stay home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children.

For centuries, this was the way of living. Although, as we come into a new era, thats slowly not

becoming the norm. Women are and should be shown as equal value to men. That means, in
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the media, women should be shown going to work while men take care of the house work, and

vice versa. In Spongebob, we see more how of the reasoning behind why women dont get help

around the house. Hillenburg shows this by making Spongebob get tired from doing all the

housework and wants a break from it but cant because Patrick is so tired, due to work. This is

what some people counterargument. Gender roles arent just a negative impact for women but

for men too. Men are given an image of being tough and providing for their family, which other

men have placed on one another. If the man doesnt do the following they arent considered so

masculine. Patrick going to work is way of feeling like a man. Although, if the show was to go

against gender roles it would not be promoting and continuing the idea.

In this episode of Spongebob, him and his best friend, Patrick, are casually entering their

day when they run into an abandon sea clam. Not sure what they should do with the new found

clam, they take it in and raise it like their own child. Spongebob becomes the mom and Patrick

becomes the dad. This is the first stereotype given in Spongebob. That every family needs to

have a male and female parent. In todays society, thats obviously not the case. Many families

have two mom figures in a family or two dad figures. Although, Spongebob portrays it as if you

must have a male and female figure as parents. So heres the first stereotype. Shortly after,

Patrick moves in with Spongebob and decides to get a job while Spongebob stays home and take

cares of Jr. and the house. For Patrick, being a dad means going to work. In fact, more towards

the beginning of the show he says, Im going to work. Im the dad, remember? (Hillenburg).

This happens to be the second stereotype. Going to work means hes doing all the providing for

the family so he doesnt have to cook and/or clean. Meanwhile, Spongebob, playing the role of

the mom. Doing all the cooking, cleaning, and caring for the baby. When Spongebob starts to ask
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for help, Patrick pays no mind and continues on eating and watching tv. This occurs till finally

Spongebob explodes out in anger and shows Patrick all the work he has done and how little

Patrick was contributing. This is exactly what goes on in todays society. Women are known for

the domestic work; cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children.

In the article, How Do We Become Boys and Girls, authors Claire Renzetti and Daniel

Curran, talk more about how children learn gender stereotypes at an early age and how it affects

our future. Children are taught gender stereotypes at an early age with television being one of

them (Renzetti & Curran, 76-84). This is completely proven by all the examples of gender roles

Spongebob portrays. This is a huge problem for the future generations. Broadcasting these kind

of roles makes children think its the norm, something that occurs on a day to day basis.

Although, again, women should not be shown any lesser. Many people make the argument that

its just a show but it highly affects our future.

Raising children to the norms of these children roles is significantly harmful. More so

because it affects their future. Many children who grow up aspire to be doctors, fire fighters,

athletes, etc. but if we keep on teaching women to stay in the house and cook, sew, and care for

the children they limit themselves for aspiring further dreams. Not saying one is any lesser,

although, it limits women. In an online article by Libby Anne, she mentions the problem in

gender roles by saying, The idea that there are natural gender roles creates a situation that is

extremely limiting for anyone who doesnt fit, and this is a large part of why most feminists see

the idea of gender roles as a problem. (Anne). Another problem gender roles is that it gives

the impression that one gender is superior than the other. Referring back to Spongebob, Patrick

going to work shows that if he isnt the one to provide for the family then they will not survive.
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He is the one keeping the family alive. We have this long life belief that women cant do the

providing. Thats why men continue to think we simply just cant. Anne uses the gender role

idea that boys are better at math than girls. She continues on to say, In other words, girls are

not worse than boys at science and math.If youre told something long enough, and you see it

(Anne).

Gender roles are broadcasted, but not limited to, through the media. In many cases,

childrens television shows. They target the youth at an early age to potentially make them think

its the norm. Its harmful to the future of their generation. Not only are they making them think

its normal but they are also exposing them to the fact that if they dont have those norms,

portrayed in the television show, its wrong. Children should be watching something more fun

and youthful. Not a show that must have a female mother who cooks, cleans and takes care of the

baby while the male father goes to work and unfortunately cant help with any of the house

chores or fatherly duties because hes too tired from work.

Parents arent finding all cartoons acceptable for their children, as you see its always

changing. Gender roles are becoming more popular, and not just in Spongebob. As the years go

on, cartoons will only advance, meaning itll become more urgent to monitor your children from

tv shows similar to Spongebob; that is if you dont want to expose your child to these gender

roles. It is important parents take into consideration that gender roles are negative impacts, and

letting the future generation watch these shows effects that.

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Work Cited

Spongebob. Dir. Stephen Hillenburg. Perf. Spongebob and Patrick. N.d. Spongebob. Wimbo22,

10 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

Renzetti, Claire & Daniel Curran. How Do We Become Boys and Girls. Composing Gender,

edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara, Bedford St. Martins, 2014, pp. 76-84.

"The Problem with "Gender Roles"." Love, Joy, Feminism. N.p., 30 Dec. 2016. Web. 01 Apr.

2017.

Tiara, Alex Dufresne Says, Cody Dillinger Says, and Jwd5222 Says. "Gender Roles in

Cartoons." Tiara. N.p., 08 Sept. 2015. Web. Retrieved from

https://sites.psu.edu/tiararcl/2015/09/08/gender-roles-in-cartoons/