Gender Roles

[Esper]

Because the people who become obsessed with going out of their way not to are generally somewhat eccentric on how they look or act. They are also a bit irritating because they tend to be pretentious hipsters.

Also, a single person cannot change gender roles. For gender roles to change, a majority of people should have each characteristic of the roles rather than not. It's not always completely obvious which is the case, but simply giving it a teensy bit of time to observe others should make it fairly clear. Example: If a woman approaches me wearing pants, and I look around me and notice many other women are wearing pants, I become aware that it is no longer a gender role for women to wear dresses and skirts. On the other hand, if I look around and notice few if any others are wearing pants, I become aware that this person does not fit the gender prototype. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

I guess I'm still a little confused by what you're saying. I think you're saying that gender roles change in response to how people act. I just can't quite figure out what separates a lone-woman-wearing-pants-among-skirts-and-dresses from a "pretentious hipster" since they are both going against what's common (for their time/place). I suppose I'm not one to assume that someone is different just for the sake of being different since I am a bit different, but because that's just who I am and how I roll. But yeah, are you getting at one being a 'genuine' change and the other not?

 

[Dawn]

I guess I'm still a little confused by what you're saying. I think you're saying that gender roles change in response to how people act. I just can't quite figure out what separates a lone-woman-wearing-pants-among-skirts-and-dresses from a "pretentious hipster" since they are both going against what's common (for their time/place). I suppose I'm not one to assume that someone is different just for the sake of being different since I am a bit different, but because that's just who I am and how I roll. But yeah, are you getting at one being a 'genuine' change and the other not?

More or less. Y'see, it's all about intent and reasoning here. The pretentious hipster does something different just to be different, and typically because they think it makes them look "cool" or "deep". The normal person does it because they think pants are more comfortable, or other reasons. Basically, while the hipsters have very specific reasonings, they're also incredibly common. Their sheer numbers are what make them noteworthy. I can only blame human nature for why they are common.

I think the people that still acknowledge Gender Roles from decades ago are... doing it wrong. Y'know? I think it's people who think Gender Roles are static and don't change that are the reason we see so much friction there, because the notion that they don't change is just plain silly! It doesn't work very well either. I think they were always intended to be dynamic, because when you think about it, at some point there was /some/ logic behind why they were there, and it was only later they started to be viewed as ridiculous.

 

[Musician of Literature]

Fairly simple: Men and women are equal. The gender of a person should not define their role in society. Men can be people who stay at home, cook, sew, or do "feminine stuff". Women can be scientists, lawyers, doctors, and soldiers. Both genders are capable of almost anything. There may be some anatomical differences, but both genders are part of the same species and should be equal.

 

[Bloo]

- The role of gender
I don't think that gender roles should mean anything anymore. You can't stereotypes males or females in something, or that they should do something, because everyone is different. I've always liked things that people said were for girls, personally, and I've had to hold things back my entire childhood, like not being able to buy dolls or something. I had always wanted a diary, and had struggled to find one for boys, and one day I found one, and it was full of stereotypically masculine things to fill out, and I didn't like it, because I wasn't free to write whatever I'd liked with a few guidelines. I think gender stereotypes are outdated, and frankly, kind of silly to begin with, and that they should definitely stop.

Another thing we should talk about:
→ Gender as a separate idea from sex
Hmm, gender and sex are not exactly the same thing. Things are gendered, for example, a haircut or something, bodies are gendered, like having male genitalia if the body of a person is male, or female if the body is female. The mind is gendered, and that type of gender may not coincide with the body. Gender is also not a binary system; there are people who are not male, nor are they female, or simply have a sex or "physical gender", that doesn't coincide with their psychological gender. I think that saying that gender is a binary system is outdated, and it's prejudiced to people who classify as an androgynous gender.

 

[twocows]

People should decide their own purpose in life independently of what expectations society places on them. Gender roles are useless and counter-productive to the American ideals of freedom and pursuit of happiness.

Also, the less stereotyping and generalizing people do, the better the world will be. People are unique individuals; judging them beforehand based on preconceived notions of who they probably are just causes a lot of grief.

 

[Esper]

While I don't like stereotyping, might there not be something good to come out of having gender-specific things, at least along the lines of making it easier to interact with people or something along those lines? I'm wording this badly, maybe because I'm not really behind the idea personally, but I'm trying to see good things they can do. Like, maybe it could help give someone a sense of identity, and that could make it easier to bond with someone else.

 

[PinkPirate]

I have always found the development of gender roles through history and specific cultures to be fascinating. One thing that people dont always see is that gender roles DO change and HAVE changed often and in my opinion have never stopped changing from the beginning of intelligent life.
Many gender roles grew from basic survival needs. There is no evidence that in the beginning of hunter/gatherer culture women did not participate in the hunting part of things. There is evidence that men participated in the gathering aspect so we can only assume that both means of gaining food were available to males and females. As time went on the biological differences began showing who was better suited for what in the blooming culture. Gender roles are born.
I am a woman. I have no children but I am a stay at home wife. Before being married I was in the army. I wanted to drive a tank...but had to go with interrigator instead beacause the army wont let women on the front lines.
It is my belief that a person should do as they please. Gender roles are meant to change. Men were the first to wear make up and high heels. I am glad that has changed... women look much better in them. lol.
My husband loves my cooking and I love to cook for him. I hate cleaning and he is a neat freak.
As long as all emotional, mental, and material needs are met, who cares what you do? You are part of cultural development that follows scientific and socio-political advancement. Be peoud of that. Even the Hipsters are important. Even though they intentionally push the limits for shock value, it gives others a chance to test the waters. Example: Pants on women?! It shall never be. women who wear pants arre scandolous and have loose morals...but if a woman in that same time period wears longer bloomwers with a shorter skirt so she can participate in tennis and other genteel pursuits....that is a novel idea.
I dont know if any of that made sense...but there it is.