Gender

I don’t think someone necessarily outright told me that girls are supposed to do this or wear this. However, I think many people, including myself, try to imitate the people we see who are older. I don’t think my parents ever said that I had to act one way or another or made us feel that girls are supposed to act feminine and boys are supposed to masculine. Through experience, I noticed that the stereotype is girls are supposed to like playing dress-up, while boys are supposed to be tough. However, my parents never made my sister or me feel that we had to conform to these stereotypes. My parents focused more on teaching us to be your own person, rather than trying to fit in.

Since I do not have a brother, I cannot compare how we were treated because of gender, but we did both “girly” things, but we also both liked to play sports. I do not think my parents really corrected my behavior because I am a girl. The one thing that I have encountered is that people are gentler to my sister and I than my male cousins. At family events, they usually like to watch sports and play outside, while the girls stay inside and talk.

I think going to an all-girls high school has really affected my understanding of gender and made me more aware of gender inequality. I have learned that it may be more difficult to do certain things because of my gender, but that doesn’t mean that I should stop trying. I have also learned that everyone doesn’t need to fit the stereotype of what a girl “should be”. Each person is unique, and people should not be all grouped together because of their gender. To me, being a woman can have very different meanings and it is being whoever you want to be. It is being someone who can make their own choices and doesn’t become who someone else tells them to be.

I feel like these ideas of traditional gender roles in a relationship come from what is presented in the media and from stereotypes. They may also come from people observing others’ relationships, like older relatives. However, I do not think that this is the way things should be. I do not expect men to do these things such as holding doors, but I think they can still do it as a gesture of kindness, but it should not be because they feel obligated t do it. These roles or jobs should not be done because a woman feels pressured to cook or clean. I think that I get these ideals from my parents because they have taught and shown me that you do not need to have these expectations.