Author: Naeemah

Source entry 1 : https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2782/

Jasmine Abrams notes, gender roles are a part of our everyday lives and are derived of many factors: “Gender roles are social constructs or labels given to people based on behavior, societal and cultural norms, and expectations (Unger, 1979). Gender role beliefs shape and are shaped by childhood and adult experiences (Blee & Tickamyer, 1995); thus these constructs change over time (Twenge, 1997).” (Abrams 1).

Like in any society; genders have gender roles: society’s definition of men and women. For example, men are expected to be: masculine, dominant, stoic, in control, and un-feminine. Whereas, women are expected to be: feminine, not “fat”, understanding, and un-masculine. With these gender roles, a system is created that derives out of toxicity for both masculinity and femininity. Society normally views this concept of gender as if it was written in stone and a person would be crucified like heretics if they would call out these concepts. The concept of gender with its toxic roles is like a bird cage that locks people from reaching their full potential. Gender roles make men, women, and even worse young children, live up toxic standards that are perceived to be ok. No one should be forced to live a certain lifestyle just to be accepted by society. The toxicity of gender roles leaks into American society affecting marriages, education, salaries, and much more(placeholder).

Souce entry 2:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3593076

The toxicity of gender roles has also affected education by creating a stigma of what career choices men and women partake in. Society places certain standards on genders that creates discrimination in an educational environment. Shelley J. Correll notes that the belief of one (gender) not being good enough for a career field derives all the way from high school:

… gender differences in the selection of activities that constrain occupational choices often occur earlier in the life cycle. This is especially evident in the case of professions like engineering, where a college degree in the field is necessary to pursue a career. Due to the sequence of required classes, the decision to pursue a degree in engineering or the physical sciences must usually be made during the first or second year of college (Seymour and Hewitt 1997). Further, those who fail to take advanced-level math classes in high school are highly unlikely to select college majors in science, math, or engineering (McIlwee and Robinson 1992). Since gender differences in the selection of activities relevant to careers in these fields emerge as early as high school, it is important to examine decisions made at this stage in the life cycle. (5).

Thus meaning, due to the discrimination of certain career fields being masculine or feminine women and men are more likely to peruse career fields where they believe their gender is suited for and that shouldn’t be the norm. Instead of people perusing career fields that allows them to survive in society; they should choose career fields that they genuinely enjoy.

The toxicity of gender roles also affects children by subconsciously forcing them to like certain interests and or hobbies to be perceived as masculine or feminine. As a kid, playing with toys cars, watching wrestling, and playing video games were the social norm for adolescent boys.

The major question I wish to discuss amongst my bibliography is, how does gender roles specifically affect families? Like in any society; genders have gender roles: society’s definition of men and women. For example, men are expected to be: masculine, dominant, stoic, in control, and un-feminine. Whereas, women are expected to be: feminine, not “fat”, understanding, and un-masculine. With these gender roles, a system is created that derives out of toxicity for both masculinity and femininity. Society normally views this concept of gender as if it was written in stone and a person would be crucified like heretics if they would call out these concepts. The concept of gender with its toxic roles is like a bird cage that locks people from reaching their full potential. Gender roles make men, women, and even worse young children, live up toxic standards that are perceived to be ok. No one should be forced to live a certain lifestyle just to be accepted by society. The toxicity of gender roles leaks into American society affecting marriages, education, salaries, and much more(placeholder). These concepts are particularly interesting for me to research about, as gender roles and misogyny thouroughly affected my adolescence and my parents marriage. Often gender norms were constantly casted on me and affected the way I and many other women experienced girlhood. There were instances when gendering items and actions for on apparent reason occurred such as when my father taught me all the “boy stuff” (mainly sports and fishing) and how to do the girlie things (laundry, mending, cooking), but more so because I didn’t want to be helpless than because I had to be a girl. The parent of the opposing gender would always correct me if I ever behaved in a very boyish or girlish manner.The only time gender roles were rigid was when my mother went to great measures to protect a notion of purity. My mother didn’t try to hide the fact that there were many tight curfews and rules in place and that they wouldn’t apply to me if I were a guy. Though gendering items seems harmless due to generations of this occurrence, this continues a cycles of sexism. Reinforcing genders and binaries, suggest the major idea that men and women are not equal, this affects family dynamics through both married couples and their children. These instances make me very passionate about writing about this topic within my bibliography.

The goal of a narrative is to tell a story, but what sets it apart from an educational narrative is that the story being told is meant to reflect experiences with what the audience has learned or a theory they have. The education narrative depends on the reader learning about the writer’s experiences; the reading we’ve done thus far typically begins with a background story that had a significant impact on the writer’s life and altered their perspective.  We read about a young person in Olivarez’s “Maybe I Could Save Myself by Writing” who thinks as though he doesn’t belong in either of the life’s categories while being both American and Mexican but not connected to either. He describes how he uses his newly discovered passion of poetry as a vehicle for self-expression. Through poetry, the author hopes to let those who find themselves in similar situations to his own realize that they aren’t the only ones who struggle with social alienation. To begin my educational story The most helpful method, in my opinion, is to write down the causes and effects of certain events in my life in an idea web. The introduction is one of my main worries because it can be difficult for me to attract the attention of the reader. I’m thinking to begin with a backstory, but to be honest I might start writing body paragraph and then go back to the introduction. I am also nervous that my writing will get lost in it’s own point.