Dixya Poudel

Gender roles are somewhat similar throughout the world. Mostly, the world is patriarchal except for a few matriarchal tribes. Each individual is different but when it comes to gender, the roles are defined and the rules are set from a very young age.

Have you ever given thought to how gender roles affect your personality? It is a given truth that general personalities of boys and girls differ. Little girls are told from young age to be demure, good and obedient. Boys on the other hand are told to be confident, assertive and assured. The etiquettes are also different for men and women. And even today there are certain professions that are mostly confined by gender roles. Women rarely are in important positions in their fields of employment although things are finally shaking up. Women can now achieve heights in their careers and keep up both personal and professional life.

Incidentally, a culture of gender equality is growing among the youth. Today, not all women are condemned to household chores. These days, both partners in a marriage carry equal responsibilities. Husbands are no longer the only ones bearing financial responsibilities in the family. The wives are equally capable of earning their own livelihood. And yet, there is such a thing as a male dominance which I think requires reevaluation and a drastic change.

If you want to understand gender roles, you can look no further than your own home. Who attends to household duties at your home from morning till the evening? It seems the household duties are relegated to the females of the family, almost uniformly throughout the world. In our society it is definitely the women who run the household, attend to domestic matters and even carry on traditions such as religious worshipping.

If you go to temples the majorities of devotees on the temple premises will be women. And in most household throughout the world, women are the ones organizing and managing the house and turning it into a comfortable home.

In most societies today, there is a concept of male ego and how men and women are supposed to behave. However centuries ago, it would have been near to impossible for women to vote, to work and to assert the freedoms that men enjoyed. Women were supposed to be quiet, speak only when spoken to and never raise any questions while men were supposed to be overly assertive and domineering. Women were thought of as an ornament to decorate the house and attend to the male members of the family.

They were supposed to be dutiful daughters, obedient wives and subservient mothers. There were definitely pioneer feminists who fought against the patriarchal society but their voices were unheard of.

How times have changed! Nowadays, women enjoy equal opportunities as men do.

They are allowed to choose their field of studies and gain financial independence through their careers. Changing times call for reevaluation in gender roles which are becoming more and more fluid. And gender equality has to progress from home and then extend towards the society, nation and the world.

It is important to raise boys and girls as equal participants in our society so that they grow into men and women who respect and support each other in every way possible.