Introduction
The birth of a child is most often met by immense joy from the parents. Each child is considered a blessing… a sign of hope for better times ahead…a future savior of a family in unfortunate circumstances. However, not all cultures share this same belief. Some cultures highly favor the birth of a son and frown upon the birth of a daughter. In these cultures, males are predestined to be leaders, movers, providers, whereas females are the subservient class who are underestimated in terms of their knowledge, skills and capacities. This essay will show that gender expectations are shaped by culture and society, which are reinforced by how families rear their sons and daughters accordingly. (thesis statement)
Discussion
In traditional Japanese culture, women are expected to walk behind their men, and eat only after the men have eaten. Likewise in traditional Chinese culture, men enjoy a favored position over women, as they are given priority in Education since they are trained to be leaders of the country, while women are expected to see that the men’s needs are catered to.
Such sexist behavior is reflected in literature. In “Latin Women Pray” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the religiosity of Latin women is depicted in their fervent prayers in churches to a seemingly unreachable God. In deep in prayer, these women long for their emancipation of status in society. The god they pray to is seen as male, which symbolizes male superiority in their culture. These praying women desperately hope that their voices be heard not only by God, but by the world, as they are not given enough opportunities to shine. Much discrimination befalls them and they are prejudged even before they can show their mettle.
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” shows a litany of “how-to’s” passed on from a Caribbean mother, aunt or another elder to a young woman born with the burden of womanly tasks. It nonchalantly drones of chores and tips from the trivial things (“Don’t walk barehead in the hot sun.” ) to the practical (“This is how you grow okra—far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants.”) to the profound (“This is how to love a man, and if this doesn’t work there are other ways, and if they don’t work don’t feel too bad about giving up.”).
Being born female entails a lot of responsibility, albeit being seen as inferior to males. The poem expresses women’s overwhelming life as it details do’s and don’ts in society that they must follow in order to succeed in a patriarchal society. It also shows how in the culture of the characters in the poem empower each other in a culture where men prevail. No matter how subservient they are made to appear by their culture and society in general, they still need to live like decent people deserving respect.
Each family has its own way of rearing its children. The kind of rearing is heavily influenced by the culture it belongs to. The kind of rearing can also predict, more or less, the kind of individuals it produces as adults.
The young girl in Kincaid’s vignette, belonged to a family expertly adapted to a colorful and rich culture. From the short text, she is predicted to grow into a wise and practical lady herself who is also adept at Caribbean culture no matter what happens to her. This Latin American culture is known to be vivacious, celebratory and so full of life and color! This is opposed to the Latin women depicted in Cofer’s poem whose only hope to live life freely lies in their prayer to a White God. Both literary pieces had Latinas as characters, however, they were promoted in vastly different ways.
A woman’s primary role is that of a mother. She is responsible for bearing children to carry on the family’s bloodline. As such, she is tasked to care for her offspring and raise them in the way society expects them to be raised. Having so many responsibilities, a mother has hard time for herself. Rita Dove’s poem, “Daystar” very clearly describes how a typical mother’s day goes. She spends every minute caring for her family and home, straightening out wrinkles to smooth out family life. The character in the poem merely wants an hour to herself when she is “nothing”, meaning nothing is expected of her except just “to be”.
The literary pieces discussed above show the realities of women in most traditional cultures where woman is seen as the weaker sex, relegated to the home to care for the family’s needs. These women show a certain dissatisfaction in their roles in society and long for something more. The cultures they belong to propagate the belief that women have limited opportunities outside their role in the family, and thus, girls are raised to be mothers, without expectations that they are capable of joining the workforce dominated by men. In traditional Chinese culture women are in a position of subservience to men, just like the women depicted in literature. Chinese parents groom their sons with good education for a bright and successful future. Thus, sons are burdened with higher expectations from their families and society as a whole. A vast majority of parents would like their sons to major in Engineering, Law, Business and Economics which are usually regarded as worthy careers for men. Daughters, on the other hand, are either allowed to take courses which are considered less manly and more frivolous, like the Arts and Humanities, or groomed to find good husbands who can provide for them a comfortable life. They are expected to serve their husbands well and look up to them as the head of the family. Since parents do not see much value in their girls getting college education, many women live with that unfortunate, less literate circumstance.
Contemporary Asian culture does not share this reality. Being more modern, countries like the United States and Hong Kong adapt more easily to changes brought about by globalization. Personally, I can attest for Chinese women living in Hong Kong where I come from. In that country, boys and girls in are treated the same and raised to be independent thinkers. They are left to decide for themselves as to what they would like to be when they grow up, like picking their college courses in preparation for the careers they choose. Families being supportive of their children’s career choices are not usually disappointed because their children confidently choose what they want and do very well in such.
Success in a career is not limited to men. Contemporary Chinese women In Hong Kong are, generally speaking, highly educated and very independent. Many women become employed right after graduation and can support themselves financially. Hong Kong society has great respect for their women and applauds their achievements the same way it applauds men.
Conclusion
The world moves forward and globalization changes cultural values and norms. Some cultures are resilient to these changes, and some are more hesitant to accept change. People belonging to a certain culture usually adapt to its prescribed values and beliefs. Families follow suit and raise children according to their cultural standards. It is ideal if such values empower people to reach their optimal potentials, regardless of their gender, in order to contribute fully to the betterment of society.