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Are Gender Roles Affecting One's Gender Identity?

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One of the greatest labels a person wears in today’s society is their gender. If you are a male or a female dictates how you should speak, dress, act, and even which jobs you should have. Certain expectations are given to both males and females. Gender roles control many areas of our lives today. We live in a society that tries to dictate who you should be, and what you should do based on your gender. Gender identity should be whether we internally identify as male or female, but instead is often only defined by society and our anatomical sex. According to Yarber and Sayad, (2012) a person’s sex is determined by genetics and anatomical sex characteristics that identify whether a person is male or female. Gender is defined as cultural …show more content…

One’s culture plays a significant part in gender-role learning. Yarber and Sayad, (2012), explain that the cognitive social learning theory promotes learning by observation of others. It is based on a beliefs that consequences control actions. This theory emphasizes that our identity is molded by what is expected of us. For example, that we would stay away from behaviors that would be frowned upon and act according to what is acceptable in society. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to be a short-term missionary. I had made plans to quite my job and serve in Costa Rica for three months. As I enthusiastically communicated my desires to my pastors they were a bit discouraging. They said “it’s not safe for a young women to be traveling alone.” I was shocked I never considered my gender to be such a huge factor. I went on the trip anyways and was glad that I didn’t let anyone’s comments discourage …show more content…

I believe gender-role stereotypes are most seen in marriage. The man is supposed to be the breadwinner and the women is supposed to perform all the house duties. Even with more women in the workforce, they are still expected to perform the majority of the chores at home. When I first got married I worked at the refinery and would work approximately 70 hours a week. Then I would go home and cook dinner and prepare our lunches. I remember calling my mom telling her how exhausting it was to have to do everything. I remember she told me “well, you wanted to get married. That’s the woman’s job.” I still do not comprehend why a woman is assigned certain duties and men others. I recently decided to return to school to complete my bachelors degree. Working full-time and going to school full-time is overwhelming at times. This is one of the times that gender role stereotypes has most affected my life. Although I have my own aspirations, such as finishing school and volunteering, being a wife is supposed to come first. I recently had to turn in an essay and I was one minute late to turning it in, and missed the deadline. At this moment I felt so frustrated because although I wanted to put school first, I have to make sure that my house is clean, that I have gone grocery shopping, and that my husband is fed first. A women is always expected to support all

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