Do Gender Roles Still Exist?

Gender roles, according to this article, are defined as "social expectations that dictate how each gender is to speak, think, act, and engage with each other.

Our society in the U.S. now, in comparison to the 1950's, has changed the expected gender roles that used to be. In the '50's, it was expected of women to be homemakers, so they stayed home and were responsible for the running of the house and raising the children. As for the men, they were in charge of being the sole providers for the family.

Although this may be the roles for many today, these expectations have been altered, and one reason is that more women are starting to have aspirations for careers.

According to this study by the Pew Research Center (as shown in the chart on the left), " Two-thirds (66%) of young women ages 18 to 34 rate career high on their list of life priorities, compared with 59% of young men."

Perhaps this is because women are feeling more empowered and capable of accomplishing things that were more dominantly done by men before. 

Furthermore, The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that in the '50's, the labor force participation rate of women was just 33.9%, and in 1998 it increased to 59.8%.

This just shows that more women want to make something of their lives besides just being an at-home mom, and that their households probably depend on the dual income from both the mom and father.

For the most part, I know some stay-at-home fathers, and I know many women who hold off on husbands for a career. However, I also know many people who conform to traditional gender roles. Either way, I believe society is being more open-minded about changes in traditional roles, and it's a good step toward gender equality.

Talk to you soon,

Alexis