| Subject: Re: Assignment 5 |
Author:
Allie Kaufman
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 14:09:06 07/05/10 Mon
In reply to:
Dr. magun-Jackson
's message, "Assignment 5" on 11:39:05 07/05/10 Mon
I was raised in a two-parent home, and both my mom and dad worked full-time. I didn’t really know what a stay-at-home mom was until later in life. I assumed that all adult women worked, so in that respect, I suppose that my parents raised me to see women as more than homemakers. My parents raised me to be independent and to work hard, and I always thought that I could be whatever I wanted to be as an adult. In high school, my dad tried to convince me to pursue engineering in college, but I decided to take the psychology route. I think that my dad’s encouragement to go into engineering shows that he believed that I was as capable as any boy in math and science. I never thought about it at the time, but I always felt supported by my parents and do not recall ever feeling like my gender limited me in any way.
I am preparing for marriage soon, and in the course of premarital counseling, I have spent time examining which roles I will have once married. My fiancé and I both had to reflect on the roles our parents had while we grew up and then decided how we would divide up tasks and responsibilities. My mom did the majority of the cooking and laundry while I grew up, and my dad did the majority of fixing things, handling cars and mowing the lawn. In that sense, I think my parents followed the stereotypical gender roles. But in many other ways, they shared tasks and responsibilities equally. We all had chores to do around the house, and we usually spent Saturday mornings cleaning as a family. Also, while we were in elementary school, if my siblings and I ever got sick, my parents usually took turns taking the day off of work to stay home with us. Both of my parents make decisions about decorating the house, and in recent years, my dad has taken over most of the cooking. My observations of my parents’ gender roles have shown me that both men and women are capable of running a home and providing for a family. I have seen how both of my parents’ individual talents, interests and knowledge have benefited the family.
In summary, I believe that my parents modeled healthy gender roles, and though my family fit some gender stereotypes, I saw my parents work together as a team. Roles were flexible, and both of my parents were willing to do tasks that may not be typical for their gender. However, I do remember looking to my parents for different needs. I would go to my mom to talk about my feelings and relationships, and I would typically rely on my dad to take care of things like my car or helping me plan for my semester in Italy. While I do believe men and women are defined and limited by typical gender roles, I do not believe that men and women are the same in every capacity.
Below, I listed how I think household tasks are typically divvied up (M = men, W = women, B = both). I also included how my parents divvied up the tasks.
Household Tasks Typical Division My Parents’ Division
Laundry W Mom
Cooking W Both
Cleaning W Both
Staying home with children W Both
Mowing the lawn M Dad
Gardening W Both
Fixing things around house M Dad
Car repairs M Dad
Planning trips M Dad
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 