If I were to write a manifesto about women in our society as Loy have done, I would write about women having a different standard from man due to there gender. The double standard between male and females have been an on going issue. There seem to be no boundary to this matter and women are continuously victims of these two sets of rules. This includes matters of marriage, age, relationship and even the work field.
One example of these rules are women tend to be perceived as aggressive when attempting to occupy leadership positions whereas men exhibiting the same behavior are seen as decisive. Society as placed women in a box and have accepted man as chairman or boss. A women can’t be assertive and confident of her decisions without being called “the B word”. Another double standard females face is difference in personality characteristics that men and women are expected to posses. Women are expected to be more emotional and sensitive. This involves being in a relationship and also the work field. For instance women are still not as dominant as men in the professional work field because women are still perceived as weak and delicate.
Another example would be if a women dates a man that is 10-20 years younger, she is automatically ostracized by society. She is thought to not be able to find someone her age, whereas a man is looked at to be a provider for such a young female. Men dating young women is becoming more and more acceptable by society but it has not been the same for women. The most controversial double standard of them all is sexual freeness. A man sleeping around with several women will receive praise whereas a women doing the same is ridicule for her actions.
There most be an end to this two sets of rules. Different cultures around the world would deliberately disagree with this idea because they are so suck on what have been seen as normal for centuries. Raised in a African American home I have lived with these double standards. I can honestly say it has effected me in negative and positive ways. But I can’t say the same for other individuals of other cultures. Our society is constantly making up new rules for women everyday. This limits the abilities of women as a whole in all assets. As a women it is our job to stand up for ourselves and speak on this issue.
You raise so many interesting points here about ways in which men and women are perceived differently in our society, and the different treatment they receive for those perceptions. Which do you think are actually double standards, meaning what is appropriate for men is inappropriate for women, which are different expectations, and which are instances in which the behavior is questionable from either gender, depending on who’s judging?
If you were going to write this manifesto, I would encourage you to focus on one aspect of the double standard and explain in detail how it benefits one group and harms, impinges on, or hampers the other. You’ll have a much more in-depth reaction to the social norms you’re challenging that way.
I agree with the blog you posted about there being a double standard between men and women. I also chose that as a topic I would write a manifesto on. I feel that women are judged and criticized for everything they they do , while men are expected to carry on those same behaviors. I think you made a strong point when you made reference to different cultures and ethnic backgrounds having two sets of rules one for men and one for women. My question is who confirms that this double set of rules is right or wrong ?
I definitely agree that it is a double edge sword for a woman in the work field, either being dominate and perceived as too forceful or being docile and being regarded as weak or ineffective. I believe this is why it is so frustrating when the same traits expressed in men can be seen as a go-getter or a team player. I do believe though that this can happen sometimes to men too. For example, the word “murse” can be used to describe a male purse or a male nurse, each can be seen as stereotyping a male as partaking in female trends or careers. I think the issue arises because there is a much bigger occurrence of this happening to females in male dominated careers.