In the last century, America has seen huge development in the way of women's rights. Feminist movements have pushed society to allow women the same rights as men. After a long and hard fought battle, women are in a good place socially. They have made long strides to hold the same jobs as men, speak their minds, and push the boundaries of the gender role they were previously confined to. However, men haven't been quite as progressive. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times suggests that "men are stuck" in their gender roles. Meaning, men don't feel the same freedom to expand their social interactions as women do.
For centuries, men have been been the sole providers of the household. With the rise of women moving into typically male dominated fields, men are being pushed to consider stereotypically feminine jobs. "Some experts say economic barriers have stopped men from moving further into feminized fields. Jobs held by women tend to pay less, an imbalance rooted in the historical assumption th
at women were not breadwinners" (latimes). Men are still trying their best to hold onto that "macho man" reputation, so they are finding it difficult adapting to the new life style of watching over the home. One man confesses that he "[doesn't] want other men to look at [him] like less of a man" (latimes). Men are expected to be emotionless, working machines who are willing to protect their reputation through an impressive display of physical violence at a drop of a hat; that just isn't fair.
It's upsetting that society has made such strides for women and left the men trailing in the dust. Feminists press for women's rights, yet they seem to forget that feminism is fighting for gender equality, not female dominance. Women are quickly redefining what it means to be a woman, while "men have had to struggle with what masculinity means to them" (howstuffworks). When it comes down to it, men and women are slowly learning that gender is not rooted in the roles society has defined, but rather in being comfortable with who you are. This can be a very difficult, individualized process. Each gender is fighting for the freedom to express themselves and break the boundaries of the historical gender roles they have been placed in for so long.
While men are further behind women progressively, they can quickly catch up with the right encouragement. Society needs to allow men to break the stereotypical gender role without feeling judged. Men need to understand that showing emotions and caring for a family isn't "girly", but human. Most importantly, we need to stop using phrases such as "be a man" and "you _______ like a girl". These phrases make men feel wrong for having doubts, and make it seem as though resembling a female is bad. The fault lies not in breaking these gender norms, but those who try to hold people to it. If society can make these simple changes, we may be seeing true gender equality quite soon.
Sources Used:
http://articles.latimes.com/print/2013/dec/26/local/la-me-one-way-gender-revolution-20131227
http://people.howstuffworks.com/men-women-roles-changing.htm/printable
Images Used (Top to Bottom):
http://www.lifeguide-blog.com/gender-roles-2/
https://sadieamanda.wordpress.com/