Introduction
Dear future me,
ten years have passed, during which society has developed and gender roles have changed significantly. In this letter, I would like to remind you of what traditional gender roles were and outline your current beliefs regarding your role as a girl. Society has always faced certain expectations regarding the female and male sexes, that is, gender roles.
Gender role is a set of specific social prescriptions that are addressed by society to people depending on their gender. This is manifested in appearance, behavior, speech, manners, gestures, spheres of activity, and others corresponding to the male or female sex. Gender roles are constructed by society; therefore, each cultural and historical community determines the specific functions and roles that a woman is called upon to perform.
Traditional Norms
Previously, a woman’s role was to be the mistress of the house, give birth to children, and take care of her husband’s well-being and comfort. This role was often prescribed to women by religion since it is in religions that the foundations of the undivided dominance of men in the public and spiritual spheres are laid. Religion also dictated most of the traditional prejudices in the perception of women, suggesting a restriction of their activity in life and different rights and opportunities for men and women.
Modern Status
Women who have received many rights in society have significantly more responsibilities. A modern woman, combining family and professional roles, is highly overloaded. Ultimately, new functions have been added to the traditional family and household roles, such as budget manager, organizer, psychotherapist, and chief educator (Corey et al., 2018). The family burden for women of different social statuses does not differ much, but it is still more remarkable for unemployed women, female workers, and female managers.
Gender roles are changing because society is changing, and the pace of people’s lives, mobility opportunities, and ideas about success are changing. Modern reality offers a wide range of patterns, including gender behavior. Women are no longer ready to receive a salary one and a half times lower than that of men of the same skill level educator (Corey et al., 2018).
Some are happy to devote themselves to family and children, and some dream of a professional career. In connection with specific stereotyped ideas that women should be primarily mothers and keepers of the hearth, feminist communities that fight for women’s rights began to appear. They insist on equality, women’s rights to lead teams, study, and be equal in their activities to men.
Personal Experience
Like many girls nowadays, you dream of being a loving mother, a wise wife, and a successful, ambitious employee of a large company. Undoubtedly, you can give up and cry, but such a manifestation of emotions is inherent in people regardless of gender. Of course, you expect that you will be treated and perceived in society as a strong and independent successful woman, which naturally may be the case. You also believe that the stereotypes that have been formed over the years will go away, and women will be able to be as strong as men in most aspects of their lives.
Conclusion
Summing up your letter, it can be concluded that, at present, society has not yet entirely switched to the model of equality between men and women. Often, a woman is perceived more as a mother and wife than as an effective, successful employee. Nevertheless, development continues, and more and more women are showing themselves as individuals with their advantages. I hope that in the future, your gender role will not be limited only to household and family responsibilities, and you will have a wide choice of roles that you can perform.
Reference
Corey, G., Corey, M., & Muratori, M. (2018). I never knew I had a choice: Explorations in self growth. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.