Gender Roles

Is This the End of Men or the Beginning of Women?

Starting at a young age, children are introduced to the concept of women being considered as the weaker sex. Children grow up playing with stereotypical Barbie who portrays females as fragile, emotional, and superficial; on the other hand, Ken, Barbie’s masculine boyfriend, is the extreme opposite and carries an incredibly strong, brave, and courageous personality. Television shows, such as Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best, also have traditionally broadcast women as stay-at-home mothers and diminished women’s authority; however, over the decades, women have made a drastic switch in gender roles and play a much more dominant role today.

When it comes to the topic of whether women have transformed over the years, most people readily agree that women have made significant strides toward self-empowerment. According to Defoe, women were only allowed to be educated in how to cook, sew, and paint a picture before the 20th century. Anything else that was additionally taught was only to please her husband. This reality had important ratifications extended into every part of their lives and drastically reduced their opportunities. Defoe’s argument states that “women are actually diamonds” and once women are “brushed off,” they shine. Essentially, once women receive the same educational opportunities as men, they are able to achieve an equal amount of success and more. Consequently, women now have many more opportunities but also face different challenges. In the past, women’s

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work was considered chores such as cleaning the house and taking care of the children; now, a woman’s work is considered to be in an actual office and building –not just as a secretary, but many are CEO of their company. In the past, women were only educated in daily life skills; now, women are granted the access to any degree desired. In the past, only men were allowed to work and be in the armed forces; now, women are...