Feminists: should gender roles in the family and society be eliminated?

Question

Should men and women have interchangeable roles in the family and in society?

Should girls be raised to become the breadwinners and protectors of the family, just as boys are?

Should boys be raised to become the primary caregivers and homemakers, just as girls are?

(If so, how can we convince our girls to no longer desire a man that provides and protects?)

Do feminists believe this would make for a better, fairer world?

I APOLOGIZE for using the expression "girls."

I was referring to "girls", as they grow up and contemplate adult life, not "girls", as in adult women.

To clarify: A gender-blind society. Just as we, ostensibly, are to have a color-blind society.

The same expectations and responsiblities rest on the shoulders of all people, regardless of gender.

Answer 1

i don't know how old you are but i was raised on the idea that women and men share house work responsibilities equally and that i can do any job a man can do.
having said that i think some (not all but some) feminists make these stereotypically forced gender roles worse. my roommate is a HUGE feminist, i HATE IT!!! she uses it to say "oh all these men are pissing on us and we need to rise up and be treated equally" then if something is too heavy she can't lift it b/c she is a woman. we also have a male roommate and she only talks to him about house maintenance stuff and outdoorsy "manly" things, but expects me to sit there and have 3+ hour philosophical discussions with her about how much life sucks. she grew up in the 70s and i think she is still stuck there...
idk if that answered your question at all but thanx :-)

Answer 2

The thing is, not every girl is suited to eventually become a breadwinner, just as not every girl is suited to be a homemaker. It's the same with the boys. If we ignore the economic fact that almost everyone has to work now, I think we just need to learn to accept that different people work in different ways. Some families might work best with one or the other staying at home, some might need both parents to work at least part-time to keep everyone happy.

I don't know if the world will be _better_. There's still going to be wars and pollution and death. People will still have no idea what they want, and adding options sometimes does make people freeze. I think most, though, would be happier if they could choose the life they are best suited for. The problem that women are having with the career/family thing is that we don't have a support system or a male population that does its chores. If more men helped more at home, and more companies offered flextime and daycare, career women would be much happier.

Answer 3

Not completely. Boys and girls need to be taught basic life skills for independent living, such as cooking, cleaning and laundry, as well as lawn care, home maintenance (use of tools), automotive care (change a tire, know how to change oil or at lease how often to go get it done somewhere), child care and discipline.

How those some of those skills are carried out can be done in ways that utilize gender-specific traits. For example, males can use their protective qualities to help a child feel safe and secure, while females can use their nurturing qualites to achieve the same goal.

As a feminist, I only ask that society offer me the same options as men have. I don't want to BE a man, I only want to be free to DO any of the things men can do.

Answer 4

I think our society has already eliminated or at least made a huge dent in gender roles already. And I am not sure thats a good thing in some ways. The devaluement of Motherhood has not improved even tho' great strides have been made for those women who wish to be doctors or lawyers none has been made for the woman who wishes to be a mother. Children need to be raised to be independent and able to care for themselves in every way -boys doing cooking and laundry and girls changing the oil on the car- then they have to ability to do what needs to be done when they are adults.

Answer 5

All families are different but I think men will always have in their nature the desire to protect and provide and women will always have in their nature the desire to create a nest. We just find we have to adapt to today's world.

I'm not sure what being a feminist means now days. I know that in the 70's there were some really valid points behind the movement. Women were so dependant on men that they would stay in abusive relationship with no way out but murder or suicide. Women didn't get decent pay or equal opportunities in any field. They almost always got the children in a divorce but with no way to support them. A woman's lifestyle went down the tubes while hubby could enjoy his bachelorhood.

Then came the extremists who scolded a man for opening a door and who insisted on taking jobs that they were not physically capable of performing.

Women lost their femininity and men got very confused on how to treat us. Many men became very angry since life seemed out of balance, while many men decided to play the game and explore househusbandry. Telling women to walk the walk.

In today's world a girl can be anything she dreams about being. She doesn't face the stygma. And since divorce rates are so high it is good for a girl to be able to support herself. But, while girls are spreading themselves out to handle job, home and family, it seems young men don't have the same awareness of team work needed for a happy home. I taught my boys and my daughter the same things in cooking, sewing, car care and yard work.

If a family can survive on one paycheck and both mom and dad agree, then it's wonderful for mom to stay home raising the kids until the youngest is in school then go back to work or college for her own edification and as an example to the kids. If 2 paychecks are required it is important for dad to take on some of the household chores not only to ease the burden on mom but also as an example to the kids.

In the end each family must make their own rules knowing that they will influence the next generation in the process.

Answer 6

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, by teaching girls to desire a man who is her equal, and Yes.

Here's the thing: there are things that need to be done for a family and household. It does not matter who does them as long as they are taken care of.

NOT training boys to be able to manage a household and NOT training girls to be able to support a family on salary actually handicaps them both. You end up with men who couldn't feed or bathe their children properly if Mommy died of cancer, and women whose family would be out on the street if her husband were hit by a bus one morning.

Men and women both need to know how to take care of things, just in case they find themselves in a situation where they have to.

A side benefit is that if the roles are divided, they are done so by choice, not because each one doesn't know any differently, and each one can appreciate better what the other contributes.

Men and women should be equal partners. It makes the family healthier and more secure and makes them both more capable people.

Answer 7

Yes. Yes. Yes.Yes. Not all girls do - even 'girls' my age! and Yes. :)