Sunday, April 3, 2011

Gender Inequality.

So for this week's post, I did a lot of thinking. From when I left campus Thursday after math, till about 8 tonight, I have been non stop working working doubles at work from open to close, and teaching karate so I knew I wouldn't have time until now to do this week's blog. But because I knew what I had to do, i thought and thought. I thought about all of the ways gender is portrayed in our lives. I can't think of a single instance where a show has referenced to a guy being the stay at home dad and the mom working. Or a transexual dad or mom, or anything out of the "normal". I didn't really know what to say for this week. Like I watched videos on youtube, I read everyone else s blogs. I think the first blog I read was Mariah's which I really liked because she had a list of laws under Title IX pertaining to women and male athletes having equal, well everything from uniforms, to equipment, to locker rooms. This really helped me get my mind off of just appearance stereotypes to equality of what women and men have available to them.
Anyways, I kept running through YouTube, and I found one video that I really wanted everyone to see

If nothing else, I think the best part of this video is from 2:15 on. This video was actually done for a Education Class midterm. I chose this one inparticular for several reasons.
1. It was kind of similar to when we watched the dove commercials and that segment from Beauty and the beast. You could clearly see that all of the girls and women were played by "perfect" woman by their standard. They were perfectualy figured, perfect height and body, "normal" colored hair. Most of the videos were of woman doing house work, or in pizza commercial, serving the man and bringing him food. Which as I think of that instance, It also refuses to show the idea of a lesbian or gay male. They're not "bashing" on the idea, it just doesn't exist. It's like the state of RI and how it refuses to even see gay marriages as a marriage from other states.

2. While I watched this video, I wasn't sure if I was going to use it. In fact, half way through I thought it was cool, but so what. It wasn't until 2:15 into the video, that I really wanted to use it. As you watch, you notice they use the doll test, very similar and slightly adjusted from what we discussed in class. Instead of a black doll and a white doll although, they used a male and female and asked questions like who goes to work, and who stays at home. In which case the children pointed to the male goes to work, and the female stays at home.

If that isn't proof that gender stereotyping isn't clearly portrayed in the media and pretty much drilled into kids heads from a young age, then I don't know what is. Kids are growing up and being taught and shown that, Mom goes to the market, and cleans the house, and cooks dinner, and dad goes to work and as the saying goes, "Brings home the bacon". I hate this idea.
Lately, a coworker of mine, who is a female told me what happened to her the other night. She has been living with a man for almost a year now and they have been planning a wedding. This guy comes home one night, and became upset and sarcastically states, "Oh nice to see dinner on the table for me after a long day of work," saying this because there was no dinner. I grinded my teeth until I heard the rest. My co worker told me...that was it, She had had it. She called off the wedding and canceled everything. She was sick of living a stereotypical lifestyle that he wanted. I hate people who are line that. I think relationships, whether it be man and woman, man and man, woman and woman, or whatever the case may be, have to be equal. I know in my relationship can't cook to save her life, she's even almost burned a house down twice. So when we have relaxing dinners at someone's house, I generally cook. But she tries to. When it comes to shopping for food, we take turns, as well as paying bills at restaurants.
To take this one step farther, and connect it even more personally, As I wrote this blog, I thought about all of the gender stereotypes I have. Since I have been taking this class, I have opened up a lot more. I used to always pay for everything, being the guy in the relationship and all. If I didn't, people would call me out on it, so I just thought I had to. Now we take turns. Mind you, for anniversaries, I still have the idea that the guy pays for everything drilled in my head. I don't know whether it's right or wrong, but for some reason, it seems right to me. It seems like it's the way it's supposed to be, the guy pays. Another stereotype I have is driving. I really don't know why. I have a big 96 chevy 1500 truck that has a 30 gallon tank and gets about 16MPG on a good day. It costs about 120 to 130 to fill. She has a little Mitsubishi Galant which is the exact opposite from my truck, gas wise. Even though her car is better, I refuse to let her drive me. I think it the 4 months we've been together, she has driven me twice, and one time I had no car. I even told her, if we have to drive really far, well I'll drive her car. Why can't I let her drive me!!!

I want to ask everyone 2 questions to see how people stand. One is, what do you all think about paying in a relationship. Like when a couple goes out to eat or to the movies, who should pay. And the second question is similar, but who should do the driving. Like am I the only one who feels the way I do. I don't know why I feel I should pay or drive, I just do.

One T

4 comments:

  1. I just thought I would share my relationshp with you and give you some insight to my thinking about your questions. I have been with my boyfriend for 2 and a half years and we generally rotate who pays for stuff. If we go to the movies, he will buy the tickets and I will buy the snacks. If we go out to eat it is whoever picks up the check first, but next time we try to make sure we switch. We both go to school and don't have steady enough jobs to always pay for what we do. I think it is fair to switch off even though it might be hard because it goes agaist stereotypes. As for driving, I generally drive because well I am better at it haha. But he just got a new car so he is excited and is driving more, but I think driving equally is a good idea because it gets tiring to always drive. But that is just my opinion haha. Hope it helps =)

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  2. Thanks...but I dunno...It's just installed in my head...Like she also doesn't have a job yet. She's got a job aligned up real soon working as a radio host...so maybe that will make it easier to let me let her pay. But as it stands..I pay for like everything and I drive. Although, I did just get a truck like a month ago...it was my gramps, so I just hate not being with it. Plus she has a car...and with arthritis it makes it hard to get up from a car...Although i feel like I'm just searching for hours to make it right that I pay and drive...ahhh...that's it. I officially hate this class...Ever since I did this original Blog, I have looked at every stereotype I live in and analyzed everything!!!!

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  3. I agree with Marisa. I have been with my boyfriend for almost 2 years and we try to switch off paying and driving as much as we can. If its driving, whoever is tired, does not have to drive or sometimes we decide which car is better on gas and has more gas in the tank at the time. As for paying for everything, we try to switch most things off. It really is just easier to go with the flow I think.

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  4. i really like the video you put in your blog this week. i thought it connected well to the topics that we have discussed

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