Maybe the point isn't to eliminate gender roles but only to value them as much. Unfortunately it seems most still value work for wages over looking after the kids.
2009-07-02T10:59:25Z
I don't think you get the point of equality Khanh. An amethyst and an emerald can have the same value and still be different. Value is a matter of perception, it does not come in the molecules of anything. So men and women being different has nothing to do with the value of their activities.
2009-07-02T17:31:19Z
Thanks for reeling me into your dark eyes, but I didn't use 'women' or 'men' in my sentence. The point is a SAH dad will also be underrated compared to a dad who works at an office.
Anonymous2009-07-02T13:08:19Z
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All I care about is that there are options as far as gender roles, if they suit you, take them, if they don't, leave them, if you have aspects of 'traditional' and 'modern' that both appeal to you, then integrate both.
I do think that even at this point, there is a higher value placed on working rather than 'looking after the kids', which is bizarre. The same people who will call a SAH-Parent lazy are the same people usually who will say that people don't take good enough care of their kids. Crazy stuff.
Too many value choice on the surface to keep up appearances, but their core beliefs are still very rigid.
Yes, they can. I live in a home where there are distinct - traditional - gender roles. Hubby goes to work every day and then comes home and relaxes as much as he can (well, and spends time with the kids, too!). I am a homemaker and I also homeschool our children. Two very different roles but both are vital and equally important. Without his hard work and the income he brings in we'd be screwed. Without me here looking after our kids and keeping us all fed and warm, we'd be screwed.
Equal doesn't always mean identical - and I'd say that traditional gender roles are equal in the way that counts the most: in worth.
I think they can be, but in modern society we value only making money. And it seems to be what most women want to do. So looking after children is only valued if you get paid for doing it. I don't personally think this matters much, as I don't care much what other women do so long as I can do what I like, and if other women want to go out to work rather than staying at home, I don't much care. I feel a bit sorry for the kids though.
No, the point is to recognize that gender roles need not apply to only one gender at a time. Looking after children is a very valuable thing to do, and nobody would ever deny that; those who don't want children just aren't cut out for that activity.
I don't think gender roles will ever be of equal value. The reason is simple: men and women are different. Obviously two things cannot be equal if they are already different. To try and make two things equal is like trying to take away one's individuality. Perhaps the only time gender roles will be equal is when people perceive them to be equal.