The perceived role of women
Gender roles continue to be scrutinized and discussed where men expect women to thrive in particular roles and vice versa. The authors outline how human nature can divide labor based on sexuality and the refusal of men to perform tasks. Scientist argues that women must mother their children for it is a natural course. Sociologists claim that, despite women giving birth to children, parenting should not rely on one person. Motherhood forms the root cause of inequality where women are expected to be more involved in children’s nurturing than men. The protective role of women has a profound effect on their lives primarily on the reproduction of masculinity, labor, and sexual inequality (Chodorow, n.d, p. 12). However, for sociologists who have ignored social reproduction as a primary form of identity for women, most have ignored women in modern times, where a shift from kingship and traditional value of women has changed. Society now focuses on what men can and cannot do in their location within the community, ignoring the fact that women value family and kingship. Moreover, Deutsch (n.d) argues that men are entitled to what they can and cannot do because of the inherent right to be men. Women also work as laborers in other organizations; they still have to do all the chores as men excuse themselves from work that is not manly. For example, most women after work have to know what they will cook, probably put their children to sleep and wash utensils.
The authors argue that although most women derive a sense of identity from motherhood and family, they form the basis of women’s oppression. Scientists perceive mothering as instinctual and bio evolutionary, which assumes that the sexual division of labor was necessary for human survival (Chodorow, n.d. p. 14). Such sees women as merely playing a role of nature and ignores the social aspect that defines male or female based on physical features. If physical features define them, then what becomes the definition of those who have undergone a vasectomy, hysterectomy, or sterile? For sociologists such as Alice Rossi, who argue that new sexual division was for survival purposes; that is, men would hunt and gather while mothers would stay at home rearing children. The view fails to be profound since there is no genetic basis for forms of sociability; therefore, it is centered on the commonality of most women having to work in social arrangements; and not an argument for why women must provide maternal care. The decision of men not to parent even in the instances of hunting and gathering does not necessarily influence survival. For instance, if mothers are involved in hunting, and their fathers assumed the role, families would still eat while babies would still grow. Chodorow (n.d) asserts that we cannot assume that childbearing mothers cannot assume specific work categories. Still, there is no enough evidence to indicate that women who do not bore their children are less motherly since the psychological aspect changes with the state of mind. Indeed, how a person’s parent is determined by childhood experiences and conflicts (Chodorow, n.d, p. 31).
Further, although families are integral to a woman, labor in homes is highly oppressive since men develop strategies to resist doing the work. Men resist through indirect strategies of passive resistance, strategic incompetence, strategic use of praise, adherence of inferior standards, and denial (Deutsch, n.d, p. 413). In passive resistance, men ignore requests from children or wives or perform tasks with an attitude that makes women not to request for help anymore. For example, some men may help with the dishes, but the negative attitude while doing the work is what the passive resistance becomes. Such ignores the fact that women have to work day jobs and take care of family full time. Incompetently, men act less responsible than women with the presumption that they are more forgetful and cannot multitask. Hence, they “forget” switching off lights, leave grease on the dishes, and fail to pick children on time such that the fear of assigning more responsibilities gets to a woman’s head. Deutsch (n.d) argues that men are self-portray and praise their women’s domestic skills to keep working within the women’s domain. It is in most women’s psychology to be happy when cooking; cleaning skills are appreciated, keeping them wanting to prove consistency. Indeed, with standards, men set them lower than women in doing house chores with an attitude of less care if the house is clean if they eat early dinner or not. They also play the denial cards claiming to be doing more than their fathers or past generation and exaggerating their contribution.
Gender affects the vocational development of women’s career choices as they look to match those choices with their future responsibilities. Indeed, the development of industrial capitalism entails that women become more focused on psychological stability and relations (Chodorow, n.d, p. 32). That being the case, societies value woman’s worth on how well they fight to keep their family together and how well their children turn out in the future. In return, women settle for stereotypical jobs where they can cut more hours to be available for their children and perform tasks. For instance, girls are brought up to do girls’ things and boys the same; the mindset on what career choices one can undertake is also negatively affected. In homes where girls grow up seeing their mum’s sacrifice to stay home to raise them, they affect how they view the future career choices to suit the motherhood role. The economic system depends on women for reproduction. With income inequality, women are left with taking care of their homes and children while men get to pay the costly bills in return (Chodorow, n.d, p. 32).
Given our family structures, the author’s ideas are informed and out to change mothering and men’s involvement in household chores. Equality in our society begins with how we view our mothers, their part in raising children, and working on household chores. The assumption that mothering depends solely on a woman is a misconceived thought that does not consider that parenting involves fathers and mothers. As Deutsch (n.d) outlines, strong women and men resolve domestic work conflict through inventing equality. In that case, our homes should not thrive on the notion that women ought to mother. Lack of an equal balance is what makes women feel that they should get less demanding jobs to leave room for family while men, on the other hand, believe that they balance lack of involvement in household chores with financial support.
The readings positively impact identity, which I now believe is highly influenced by our social environment. Although people form an identity in a sense to belong to a specific group, changing behavior or fighting for equality does not change who we are. When men get involved in parenting, it gives them time to bond with children and learn necessary survival skills. If anything, advocating for women’s rights makes us better members of our familial groups that thrive on equality rather than oppression. As women, other men’s actions and with what those close to us do is not a benchmark for accepting some form of equality. In our potentials and identities, we can choose to do more and better. As Deutsch (n.d) asserts, reasonable men acknowledge the strength of their women who establish equality at home. Therefore, our identities go beyond what society constraints them to be.
I identify the unconscious bias of generalization of the male role in families and long-held values that men are not capable of co-existing in comparable homes. For the longest, I have always perceived men’s lack of interest in chores to be part of their masculinity that gives them an identity for who they are. However, that identity begins at home and assuming that women’s role is to do it all is a general thought that fails to recognize that equal co-existence means equality. The fact is, Women might not be performing household chores better, but men have set lower standards for how they perform them. The low standards make us believe that they are not capable, yet if they were set higher, they would deliver accordingly.
References
Chodorow, N. (n.d.). Why Women Mother Part 1. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Chodorow, N. (n.d.). Why Women Mother Part 2. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Deutsch, F. M. (n.d.). Strategies Men Use to Resist. 34