Taylor Spencer

FHS-2400
Unit 2 Essay 1
OPTION E: GENDER EQUALITY
Does it seem to you like gender equality is a one-way street? When we talk about gender equality, arent
we usually talking about women becoming more like men? Why dont conversations about gender
equality also focus on mens ability to become more like women? Does our society believe that women
can really lead as well as a man? Does our society really believe that a man can be as nurturing as a
woman? What do you believe? The double standard of aging says that men become more distinguished
as they get older and that women dont. Assuming that you view this double standard as being unfair,
what can you do and what should our society do to remedy this lack of equality?

As a female I feel that the way that many women perceive the idea of gender equality is
bogus. If you want to be treated as an equal to a man then do the same things that a man does.
We have specific ideals on what a woman and man should contribute to society so if you want
equality then do those things that we as a society deem to be the male roles.
I think that the strongest argument about womens idea of equality is that that would put
men below women and therefore they would NOT be EQUAL! I think that I agree 100% with
the statement gender equality is a one-way street. I have never heard a man say that it isnt fair
and they want to be treated like a woman. I do not mean that women should not be allowed to be
equal to men, just that everyone should have the same chances to do as they please.
I think that the main reason that we do not discuss mens ability to become more like
women is due to the fact that some women feel that they have been suppressed for generations
and see anything that is not given to them as something being taken away. Men have always had
unalienable rights so they do not have the innate fear of being suppressed again. (Strong &
Cohen, 2014, pp. 80-81)
Women have a tendency to act upon their emotions rather than their reasoning. From my
experiences, whenever I have had a female boss or supervisor its like they take everything to
heart and feel like you are going against them. When I have had a male supervisor he is able to
see the logic behind our actions and not get emotional. I feel that men are much better leaders
because they are able to use team leadership and think of everyone as a whole. When a woman
gets into a leadership role they tend to become aggressive and try to prove that they Can do it.
In my opinion all that does is prove that they are incapable of being in a leadership role.

In our society women almost always end up taking on the child care and home maker
roles. Even when both parents go to work the child is very often left with a female caregiver.
Women have an innate sense to nurture while men prefer to be like the bread winners and take
care of their family. Many companies only have maternity leave and even if paternity leave is
available it is never as long as the mothers leave. For example, at my work there is a couple and
they had a baby about a year ago. The mother was able to take off three months with full pay
while the dad only had a few weeks of paternity leave available. Another example is divorce.
Women nearly always get the child if there is not a problem with the situation where the mother
is deemed unfit. Very rarely does the custody even split down the middle; it is almost always in
favor of the mother.

Bibliography
Strong, B., & Cohen, T. (2014). The Marriage and Family Experience. Belmont:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning.