Carrier’s features editor Saif Sarfani discusses society’s relationship with gender roles.
Saif Sarfani, Campus Carrier features editor.
Gender roles always tend to creep up on us whether we abide by them or not. Traditionally, men are expected to be tough, muscular and be fearless in all matters of life. Women are expected to show emotion and be nurturing and delicate in the same matters. When men are expected to provide, women are expected to stay at home and take care of the children.
But with all of these societal boundaries on how we’re “supposed” to live, why can’t stepping out of our expected gender roles be more accepted in society?
A recent study conducted by University of Texas at Austin professor Paul Eastwick and his colleagues found that some men often dislike when women outsmart them in traditionally male-dominated tasks, such as math or other computational activities. This makes men feel less masculine and less attracted to women. However, why can’t men be attracted to smart women and still be able to preserve their masculinity?
Most men think that all they have is their masculinity. They are perceived as macho, fearless and providing human beings who can outsmart anyone. If women fulfill these requirements (with a feminine touch) then they have stripped the man of his character.
Men should not be afraid of a smart woman even if she can outsmart him. Such ability would show that women are equal, not inferior, to their partner. Women shouldn’t just have to fulfill requirements of being attractive, well put together and soft-voiced, but should also be capable of having the same amount of knowledge and tact as their partner.
In many cases, this is how it is. Both the man and the woman consider the other equally smart and capable. But if things were different so that even the alpha male considered his stance in society as enhanced, not diminished, by his intelligent wife or girlfriend, we could effectively break the shell of gender roles.
Moreover, not abiding by certain gender roles can be harmful to both males and females.
Feminine males often have self-esteem issues and feel inferior to their masculine counterparts. Masculine males also have a tendency to equate femininity in a man to him being homosexual. But femininity is not a sign of homosexuality, even though gay males are stereotypically viewed as feminine. Their self-esteem and self-image issues produce emotion, which cause feminine males to be even more ostracized by their counterparts.
Masculine females, on the other hand, are perceived as “butch.” Women should not be stigmatized for being strong and being able to defend themselves. Though masculine females may not show emotion, they might still be hurt on the inside for being judged by feminine women. Some may even be viewed as lesbians, when that just might not be the case.
Whether it is a feminine male or a masculine female we should not judge the way anyone behaves. Though traditionally men have had more upper body strength and females have been seen as more emotional, the two characteristics overlap.
Society needs to learn how to actively accept all types of people regardless of how they act or whether or not they meet certain criteria according to their gender.