I am going to be focusing the topic of my blog on gender roles. The picture that I have posted represents how some jobs are considered more feminine. The profession of nursing is considered to be reserved for the female population.
The question of concern is why is this profession considered feminine? Is it because of the nurturing and caring nature of females? Or is it because this profession requires more commitment, patience and gratitude towards the patients that females can offer? Does that means that males are not nurturing and afraid of dedication? This scenario is prevalent in many cultures as you can refer to. In my opinion, this notion that females are considered as nurses comes from the gender roles that takes place within a house. In a household, it is a mother who usually takes care of the baby and this same philosophy is applied to the profession of nursing. A mother usually ends up taking care of the baby all day and the role of father comes into action when it is time to play! This clearly shows that the role of the females is to provide and take care of people whether it is her own children or her patients.
The society is gradually becoming more open-minded and accepting different view-points such as the idea of parental leave for fathers to help take care of the baby is becoming more common. In general, we can see evidence that fathers have adopted a more caring and nurturing attitude towards their families. This is impacting the gender roles in jobs with it. Now, males are also considering nursing because they have proven that they can take care of their child and the society feels more comfortable that they can take care and provide for their patients like females can do.
Some questions to address are:
If women are able to get their heads into professions that are considered more masculine such as firefighters, police, army or engineers then why is it hard for men to break this cycle and take job that is considered more feminine? Will is affect their masculinity and affect their self-esteem?
Why is it hard for society to break such stereotypes and become more open-minded?
What other professions could you think about that are considered more female orientated?
what characterizes a job as feminine or masculine?
Lastly thank you for reading!
I look forward to your insights!
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ReplyDeleteGender roles and stereotypes are what keeps people from truly doing what they want to do. I believe what makes people follow them is their culture and society. I believe that the stereotypes stuck to the gender roles because in the past, before females were allowed to have education, they were "prescribed" to be assistants (nurses, hostesses)and nurturers to children and men such as teachers. Not doctors, firefighters or engineers but now that there are more opportunities for women, they have the chance to do whatever they want to do. In some cultures there are still some prejudices about women doing certain jobs such as policing or becoming a head in a business. There are also less women in construction and even in government offices when studies have shown that women are a great contribution to the job sectors. There should be more things to be done to attract women to these types of jobs.
ReplyDeleteI really don’t think that society has much influence on the way we chose the career paths we want. It really depends on the way a person thinks and the way they are brought up. As well, how one is brought up and in what part of the world. Specifically, when we talk about this topic mainly based in North America, it really doesn’t matter what occupation a person chooses. There are obvious statistics to prove which occupation has more females and males but we also have to look at the past. When we talk about the past, the generation during that period has the mentality about specific jobs for a male or a female. I think media is a key factor which contributes to this topic. For example in movies, the audience is always shown occupation related to their sexes. But that is not always the case. Many movies also portray women who are working as accountants at a high post in a company. If media is seen to be the main influence to everything in today’s society, then why not occupation?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I completely agree about the argument as to why females are always the one who are seen to be the care giver. I think that history will always be a part of anything we do. When we look back and examine the earlier periods, it is always evident that you get a justified answer to your question. Any new idea or concept takes time to become “normal” to others. Gradually, we see that homosexuality is becoming more accepted by others than it was before. Just like that, occupation according to sexes will definitely change. If this change is being looked at now, may be the next generation will not face such stereotypes.
Sorry, just adding more to my point.
ReplyDeleteAn example of an industry which usually females are part of is fashion designing. If becoming a fashion designer and making clothes for others was such a "female" type job, why are there mostly male working in this industry now?
When we look at famous designers, we instantly think about females or homosexual males. Putting homosexual's choice aside and just looking at their biological makeup, they are known as males. Correct? SO, I really don't think that jobs are prescribed according to ones sex or gender.
I completely agree with Heli's point. In the past, people took jobs according to their gender. However, this is not the case in North America but we simply can't ignore that it doesn't happen in the world. The notion that some jobs are more suited for men is still prevalent in many societies and can only be challenged through education.
ReplyDeleteAnother job that has less male population is ECE. Hardly there are any ECE male teachers. In order to clarify my argument, I would like to comment again that women are able to take jobs that were previously not available to them like high posts in business and other jobs then why are men being deterred to work as ECE teachers in daycares, or as nurses.
I do agree that everyone has a freedom to choose the career path they wish regardless of what society thinks. However, the level of comfort and the discrimination that a person may have to face may cause them to change their opinions.
I agree with Diane that a society can mould us to its beleifs and it can deter us from our goals.
I agree with Heli when she says that we choose the career paths that we want. If your qualified for the job, then you probably will get it. For instance, one of my friends, who is a female, is an army mechanic. I would say that is one of the most "masculine" jobs I know. It was something she always wanted to do, and her gender didn't prevent her from chasing after her dreams. If someone uses their gender as a reason as to why they can't do something, it's just an excuse. Gender has no influence on what you can and cannot do, at the end of the day it comes down to personal will.
ReplyDeleteI think what characterizes a job as masculine or feminine is what people consider to be masculine or feminine. It all varies from person to person. If a man is comfortable being a nurse then I doubt he would consider his job as feminine, it's only feminine if the man feels that for some reason its weird that he is a male nurse. In many ways a male nurse makes a lot of sense because men are physically bigger and stronger. If a patient has fallen or needs assistance, it would be easier for a man to help them then a women.
I think it's hard for society to break stereotypes because it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. When someone is in their 30s or 40s, they`ve already lived, they`ve made up their minds about how the world works. At that age, someone isn`t going to change very easily. The only way to break stereotypes in society is to focus on the younger generation because they are influenced easier. Younger people tend to have an open-minded attidtude, as opposed to the older generation.
Women are now getting into many so called "masculine jobs". I, personally, don't feel that gender has to do with the profession you have. It's the society to be blamed. People have made up their mind on how to think if they see a male or a female. Men are not able to break this cycle because they always think and are always considered superior to women. So, if they get into a "feminine" profession, men think it's wrong. It's hard to break such stereotypes because people have been living with such thinking for more than half of their lives, and it's hard to change now. But the new generation now, I think they are trying to set up an open minded view.
ReplyDeleteTeaching profession is considered more feminine kind of jobs. If we see at our own school,KCI, there are more female teachers than male teachers.
Gender role stereotypes are very hard to break. But these past decades our society has evolved. I agree with all the points posted so far. I believe that if someone really wants to have a certain career, they will go for it. To touch upon the advertisement posted above, men care more about what others think that has to do with their masculinity. For example, homosexuality. They do not want to come across as gay or feminine. Although the society has become more acceptable of these gender roles changing, I think that there is still a long way to go but I do not think that this is something to worry about. If you want it, do it!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alysha and Ashleigh's comments. It is true that if you really want to pursue a certain career then what society thinks becomes irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteWomen are easily able to take on jobs that are considered masculine; however, it is very hard for men to get into a career that will cast doubt on their sexuality and masculinity.
Breaking the stereotypes is a difficult thing. The key is to be open-minded and accept variations among people. We shouldn't judge people based on what career path they choose. When we start to judge people based on what they do then that leads to stereotypes. Like Heli mentioned when we think about fashion designers, the dominant discourse that pops into our mind is either females or homosexual men. But is it true? It is not true but media has created an image in our mind about who pursues fashion designing. Then we start believing it and think it must be true.
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ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with Gurpreet when it comes to gender stereotypes in workplaces. Intellectually, women are as capable as men. Intelligence does not depend on a person’s sexuality, but it relies on their desire and attempt on gaining knowledge. If one is passionate about a particular career, then they will passionately gain the skills needed to qualify for that position. Some common stereotypes are, for example, that men who are in the fashion industry or hair salons are homosexual. However, this is not true as I know many hairdressers personally who are not homosexual. I hope that the future generations erase these kinds of stereotypes altogether, and provide equal opportunity for everyone regardless of their genders.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree with the society that women are more affectionate than men because they can expresses their feelings so well, I disagree that men cannot be equally nurturing. In fact, I think they can be even more nurturing than mothers sometimes. Kids always look up to both of their parents, and to them they are both the same in every way. I personally enjoyed spending a lot of time with my dad because he would always keep me entertained.
I agree with Mursal's comments that it is not true that men can't be nurturing. Men are as capable of raising children as mothers. However, the stereotypes regarding fathers need to be broken so that there are equal opportunities for both genders. This will also ensure that individuals will not be judged about their sexuality based on the profession they are in.
ReplyDeleteThe question to reconsider here is if we know that stereotypes regarding jobs are wrong then isn't society able to break free from them?
ReplyDeleteAlso, why men are taking more time to take feminine jobs then women doing masculine jobs? In the past, women were not even allowed to work and now they have reached every job. So, why is the male population not able to do so?
That's actually a really good question Gurpreet. I didn't think about it that way before. It almost seems that women are actually progressing more than men! But then, when I look at certain jobs such as construction, mechanical engineers, it appears that those jobs require more physical labour and therefore men mostly do it since they are physically stronger than women. Maybe by not doing other jobs such as nursing, the number of workers working all jobs becomes balanced. Maybe this isn't really about gender stereotypes, maybe it's just a way to balance everything. People that are passionate about certain jobs pursue it anyways such as women going into policing, and men going into nursing.
ReplyDeleteI considered going into policing, but then I changed my mind and decided that job will be a little difficult to handle since I like to live a more comfortable life rather than waking up in the middle of the night and being on call for duty for the rest of my life. But if I was really passionate about it, maybe I would've gone into that.
I agree with Mursal that it seems that women are progressing more quickly than men. Women fight for what they want, especially equality, and they do this by educating and participating in jobs that are usually designed for men i.e. engineering, army, police, etc.
ReplyDeleteSome men feel that when they take positions in female jobs, their masculinity will be decrease, femininity will increase, and people would think they are homosexuals. I also learned from a member of my church that men hate when they are not in control of their lives, and some don’t like change, so they stick to what they know, and what they are comfortable with.
I would also like to add that many people say characterizing jobs comes from religion. I disagree because in my religion, it does not limit one’s abilities and interests when it comes to jobs. I have never heard someone of any religion say “My religion says I can’t be a police,” or “My religion says I can’t be a doctor.” I agree with Ashleigh that people characterize jobs as feminine or masculine. People set limits for themselves, and this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
To answer your question Gurpeet, many people who hold jobs today are those of the “old” society. I’m pretty sure that the new generation are breaking away from these stereotypes, and becoming more open-minded and involved. Many young women occupy positions as engineers and police officers and many young men occupy positions as doctors and teachers. Sure, as KCI, there are many female teachers, but notice that many new male teachers at our school are young and changing the stereotypes (if I can mention examples, Mr. K and Mr. Kokai).
One of the profession that is considered more of female profession is “Chef” but in this profession more males are seen than women. Even though cooking is suppose to be done by females not my males.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people have created these stereotypes and I am sure as Sageena state that the coming generations are aware that these stereotypes are wrong and want to become more accepting and open-minded. It is hard for the older generations to break this cycle because it’s something new for them. As I posted in my very first blog that change for anyone is challenges to accept but eventually everyone starts to adapt to this new idea. Just a question that came into my mind do the male nurse get paid more than female nurse? OR do females nurse get paid more than males nurse?
Mursal, I truly liked your viewpoint about how some jobs require more physical labor and suites men more than men. That is absolutely true but I am content as it didn’t deter the women population away!
ReplyDeleteSageena, I really liked your comment about how you said that men like to take control of their lives and stick to the things they are comfortable with. I wonder why women are more challenging and like to try new things than men.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree that new generation is very open-minded and therefore we see a rise in the number of male nurses, teachers, etc. Therefore, being open-minded and educated is the key to breaking free of stereotypes that may limit individual’s abilities.
Shraddha, you are absolutely right that the most feminine job, chef, is done by the male population. In my opinion, this is because it does not hamper their masculinity at all. Being a chef does not question their masculinity or sexuality. This is again because of the prejudice prevalent in the societies.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think there is an imbalance regarding the amount of pay but I am not sure.