Let’s Talk about Gender Roles

By: Selina Liu
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    Gender roles, a defined norm that is generally considered appropriate for either a man or a woman’s interaction, sometimes can give pressure to who we want to be because of social expectations. Although society today has become more open and diverse than the past, stereotypes of “who we should be” still exist as standards to our own success. For some that are still searching for their inner worth or definition of gender identity, gender roles become invisible rules that confuse them more. One of the most familiar gender roles saying would be- “Tough Boys, Caring Girls.” With a given trait, the behavior of having anger within a girl, and seeing a boy cry become intolerable, according to the gender norms. However, is it necessary? Does it mean that girls have to always be caring and boys have to always be tough to fit in the society? 

    With the uprise of social media, gender roles and stereotypes increase dramatically. While we scroll through Instagram and look at pictures of celebrities and KOLs, we may wonder or sometimes in awe of their social life- fancy parties, fine dining, a perfect body shape, and up-to-trend styles. Slowly, we follow the trends, wanting more, and try to fit into the standards of society. During the Women’s History Month in March, some feminists confronted about some of the gender roles in their career that may have been an obstacle to the road of success- “Women would not be great in the STEM field,” “Women should be grateful for their position and should not ask for more,” “Women should be married within the age of 30” … All of these about has been invisible ropes tied to feminists who are eager for more opportunities, and it shouldn’t be!

I remember having a conversation with one of the feminist media organizations online to talk about the issues they have been facing as a feminist in college or in their career paths. All of them have one thing in common- “Women should let men lead the road of success.” Yet, it is even harder for them to speak out for feminism because of the classic existence of stereotypes and criticism from the traditional speakers (mostly male but not all). Although part of the society may criticize those who may not conform to the norms, feminists have been elaborating in several industries- speech therapy, engineering, architecture, journalism. With many marches and communications, feminism has been promoted in abundant countries and many are well-aware of the phrase. In addition, many governmental organizations, such as UN Women, NOW (National Organization for Women), and WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) campaign popped up to support the move to gender equality and break the gender roles. Society should be encouraging the spread of feminism because of the harmony that may be led on this- healthy competition with no definition of who we are supposed to be, what we are doing, and what we are planning to do in the future. 
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Gender roles tend to define one’s characteristics to fit in or to not because of tension among the “perfect” world. We should not have an assumption of who one should be, what one did, who she will become, or who she should believe in. It is one’s right to choose what they are passionate about, instead of following what society thinks it’s “the best” for them! Although some gender roles have been the foundation of many cultures, it is important that we keep an open eye to all opportunities and friendly smiles to someone that might be special or unique from us, as it may be their first time to have the courage to do something unexpected. 
    
    

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