The natural order of life on the planet physically and physiologically separates males and females. Such differences have led to an unavoidable division, also in psychological terms. The societies have formed roles and attributes that are specific to each gender. For the longest time, women have been a victim of male dominance and power, only recently gaining strength and rebelling against such unequal treatment. The fact that women now have more rights and freedoms, as well as social status, does mean, though, that the separation of sexes has disappeared and society became less opinionated.
Since birth, both boys and girls are conditioned to behave in a certain way, which is representative of their role in society and family. As Devor mentions, girls are taught to be feminine while boys are given lessons in masculinity (Devor 485). Society expects a certain behavior from each gender and thus, the separation in professions and leisure-time has been created. The division goes back into the past and has its roots in the overtake of women’s role in society. Women were made inferior to men with duties that were centered on motherhood and house work. Men were the rulers of societies, having all the higher posts and making all the important decisions in the state of a nation or country. Devor mentions that there is no basis or reasonable beginning for this separation (Devor 488). Men and women were created equal and so, should hold equal positions within humanity. When considering the sexual orientation and preferences that men and women have presently, it is easy to see that before, such a thing would not be allowed. The modern world has opened up its conservative views and created some leniency in the attitude and treatment of others.
As seen in the work by Barrie Jean Borich What Kind of King”, two women have an intricate relationship that is no different from a relationship between any two people who are in love (Borich 115). The majority of people are not used to seeing and understanding such relationships and so, they are establishing opinions that are hurtful and unreasonable. But looking at the essay, it is evident that love can exist between any two people who are fond of each other and want to be in the presence of one another. So, it should not matter what others think or what criteria they judge love by because it is clearly described how two people of same gender can have romantic, passionate and rewarding relationship. This happens for only one reason–people are attracted to their partner in love and they have no physical or moral control over their emotions. If people chose who to love and who to be with consciously, it would be easy to see how everyone would choose the best representatives of the opposite sex that they can find. But the world does not work this way, it forms relationships based on unexplained pull from another person. People get together and start seeing each other because separation gives them discomfort and so, they have no other avenue, except to reach towards that person. If someone has mutual feelings in regards to another person then why such relationship should be seen as wrong or immoral—there is no reason. A woman’s perspective can be seen in an article “Women Are Just Better” by Anna Quindlen. It shows how different the social understanding of a woman’s role is from a personal opinion of a woman (Quindlen 438). The framework of the world has forced people to separate males and females into two different and very distinct entities that must be followed and adhered to. If anyone steps out of the boundary, right away they are ridiculed and put down. It is not very clear who made such criteria true and why should people follow it. The modern day world has become a very multifaceted place where the roles of men and women have merged into a common one. As women have gained more rights and status in society, they have proved that there is no difficulty for them to assume jobs that were previously taken up only by men. This is seen in politics, number of professions and family life.
One of the very obvious illustrations where female and male roles are merged into one can be seen in the media. A commercial for a Harley Davidson motorcycle showing a woman cruising around, proves this point (Harley-Davidson Promo Commercial United States America USA). Society has created an image where only hard and tough men are the ones who can ride a motorcycle, lead an “outlaw” life and love the sound of a chopper. But the commercial shows how women can enjoy the same kind of lifestyle and feel very good and pleased about it. Numerous advertisements that show men shopping or choosing certain household items for decorations show a man “supposedly” doing something that only women should be doing. But why is it wrong if a man has a sense of taste and is able to ease the life of his wife or partner by picking drapes or selecting the coloring and theme of a household? To attribute these qualities only to women is to deny the ability of men to differentiate color themes and unity between objects and styles. The jobs that men and women hold are a clear example of how the modern world has made the line between gender roles disappear. One such profession that was always thought to be only for men and extremely masculine is the army. The conditions of life are tough and it is presumed that only men are able to carry out such hardships and limitations of a soldier life. But recently, world events have shown that women act as peacemakers, soldiers and trained military personnel, just as well. Extreme sports are another place where women are starting to participate in. Boxing, karate, hockey, soccer and many others, are examples that show women are very successful in these events and once again prove that there is no real division between gender and the activities that one can participate in. Single mothers and women who support the household by holding a high paying job or sometimes several jobs at once are another illustration. It shows how women can take up the hardships of reality and be very good at it. At the same time, women stay feminine in being models, portraying an image of sensitivity and beauty. Being good mothers and raising children has always been a part of life that women specialize in and so, they have become extremely good at it. Women, who are involved in a nursing profession, represent another large field that is not very explored by men and the dominance of women is very clear to the day.
In comparison to women, men are starting to take up jobs and roles that were considered feminine before. Many countries are starting to have paternal leaves where fathers are able to take time off work and devote their time to raising children and doing house work. Men who are involved in the designing of clothing lines and working as runway models, show that it is easy for a man to display his other side and that there is no shame to that. Another aspect of life where men have stepped over the gender bias is cooking and housework. Before, it would be unheard of if a man was a chef, knew his way around the kitchen and spent most of his time at home, taking care of the household chores, cleaning and preparing dinner. The modern world has changed very much, historically but men are still taking up the majority of masculine professions and roles. The majority of jobs with harsh conditions, such as oil industry and heavy buildings are dominated by men. Police officers and Special Forces mostly consist of men; the same can be said about the army and other military professions. And of course, men are still very good at being bouncers and dominating in violent crimes and gangs. It seems that men have been conditioned to be allowed to participate in rough and dangerous activities and so, it has become acceptable. But the true matter of things, is that no one has enough mind power, knowledge and authority to say what women and men are supposed to do and what sort of life to choose. It is up to the individual to decide and anyone who says otherwise is simply a victim of their own limitations and social frames.
Works Cited
Borich, Jean. “What Kind of King”. Making Sense 2nd ed. Ed. Cheryl Glenn. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2005. 107-115. Print.
Devor, Holly. “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes”. Signs of Life in the USA 4th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2003. 484-488. Print.
“Harley-Davidson Promo Commercial United States America USA.” YouTube. 2011. Web.
Quindlen, Anna. “Women Are Just Better”. The Short Prose Reader 9th ed. Ed. Gilbert Muller and Harvey Wiener. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2000. 437-438. Print.