4.15.2009
He Works, She Works, but What Different Impressions They Make
This article was so blunt for me, I found it enlightening. The binary that exists within society of the man and woman goes far beyond just the basic gender and biological sex of a person, it is constructed into the way society perceives us- and the battle within the workforce space for equality is one of the largest conquests. The two column set up of the article instantly causes the reader to process the binaries and oppressive tone within the work force. Personally, I have only worked in the female dominated area of child care. I have seen the reverse of this patriarchal oppression, the the discrimination against men who work in the field. The complex system of work force oppression, while predominanty aimed towards women, does go both ways. For this articles sake, though, the responses to the male and the female employee are undeniably realistic. I have heard statements similar to these within my own family that before this course, I did not question. The patriarchal set up of the work force and the gendering that exists makes it extremeley difficult for working women to push forward.
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The idea of the gendered binaries of work in society I feel is one of the hardest for our country to overcome. While there are some physical constraints that differ male and females from what jobs they can perform, for the majority of jobs, men and women can do equally as good of jobs.
It really saddens me that men are still seen as not nurturing enough to be stay at home parents or even have equal responsibility for their own children. Men who do make the choice to have this “alternative” role in their family are often made fun of or frowned upon even though the idea that only women can be maternal is a social construct. Why isn’t a “fraternal” instinct ever discussed?
Other jobs in our society like secretaries, chefs, librarians, and firefighters (for just some random examples) are very much gendered. What gender do you first picture for each of these jobs? I bet you thought/:secretary? Female. Chef? Male. Librarian? Female. Firefighter? Male. Yet all of these jobs are suited for both men and women.
Something that comes to mind is that song children are taught in elementary school: Parents Are People. Though the song tries to be inclusive, you can still find some gendering in the jobs they list. Mommies= teachers, cleaners and bakers and daddies=writers, welders, and sailors.
"Mommies are people, people with children…
And now mommies are women, women with children
Busy with children, and things that they do
There are a lot of things a lot of mommies can do
Some mommies are ranchers, or poetry makers
Or doctors or teachers, or cleaners or bakers
Some mommies drive taxis, or sing on TV
Yeah, mommies can be almost anything they want to be
…
Daddies are people, people with children…
And now daddies are men, men with children
Busy with children, and things that they do
There are a lot of things a lot of daddies can do
Some daddies are writers, or grocery sellers
Or painters or welders, or funny-joke tellers
Some daddies play cello, or sail on the sea
Yeah, daddies can be almost anything they want to be"
As a woman I know how much more we need to work in order to acquire the positions we deserve and to make our presence know, and when we do speak up people label us as radical feminists even with the littlest things. It is frustrating!
The pillars of the sorority that I am part of are academics, service, diversity, leadership, awareness, and sisterhood. All these factors help women grow personally and it strengthens their sense of self in order to succeed in a patriarchal world. We also educate others about the issues women face. We have workshops of domestic violence, mail order brides, issues women face all over the world, the sexism women face in different cultures, and so on. I take pride in being a sister of Chi Delta Sigma Sorority because we strive to empower women. This sorority has changed me so much and has opened my eyes even more to the social construct of the "ideal" woman.
My boyfriend was talking about the future and how he would work and I would stay home and take care of the kids and the house. I was like, "Hold up! What?!" I asked him why does the woman need to stay home? And told him I would never stay home and waste my education. Then he said, "fine I'll stay home and you work." I was like, "Hell no!" I finally explained to him why it should be equal.
I had another incident when I was deciding what major I was going to take up in college. I was talking to a guy friend of mine and he laughed at the idea of me majoring in architecture. I asked him why did he laugh, and he said, "Isn't that a man's job?" I was furious! But I stayed calm and talked to him about it. He understood where I was coming from.
It is exhausting trying to defend yourself constantly and I do not understand why men/society can't see that women are just as strong and intelligent as men are.
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