Traditional gender roles are slowly undergoing change – and that is bringing about an immense number of positive outcomes for both of the genders. These include: freedom for both men and women to explore and develop new roles based on personal choices rather than gender stereotypes (Ex: females can be strong, independent, and successful and males can be nurturing, emotional, and intuitive), equality of interaction between genders (women are no longer forced to be their husbands shadows), and increased social, domestic, and career opportunities (women are now able to work outside of the home and men can be stay-at-home dads). Yet, despite these changes, there are still some things that continue to be quite established.
There are five key attributes that make up the traditional male role: achievement (high paying job and lots to show off), aggression (men should be tough), autonomy (independent), sexuality (heterosexual and very active), and stoicism (not expressing feelings or emotions) (Weiten, 287). While this male role has remained pretty constant, it has undergone a few changes during the last decade or so. For example, with women working outside of the home more often than not, men now have to take on the responsibilities of nurturing children and sharing in household chores. Because of these new expectations, many men have been experiencing what psychologists call a "masculinity crisis" – feeling confused and believing their male role is being jeopardized. It seems that men are finally experiencing the frustration that women have faced for hundreds of years!
The traditional female role has two major expectations: the marriage mandate (women are seen as adults when they wed) and the motherhood mandate (women are expected to have at least one child). Women are especially encouraged to be good mothers – therefore, they need to first attract a man to depend on, and are then expected to be giving, emo
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