Riddle of the day:
Any ideas? Some readers may find the answer to this riddle very obviously, whereas others seem to be quite stumped (I speak from experience, my Adulthood Development teacher recently posed this question to our class). The answer: the doctor was the boy's mother. Obvious enough, but often we have such strong gender role stereotypes that the answer may seem a little illusive at first. Although gender roles are constantly changing and the lines between them are becoming blurred in many scenarios, many individuals still think of certain roles as either masculine or feminine. Like in the riddle, for example, the reason it may stump some is because people prescribe the role of a doctor to be masculine. If it has been a boy and his mother who had gotten in the car crash, and nurse walking in and saying "I cannot treat him, he is my son," the riddle may have been similarly confusing because a nurse is often thought to be a feminine gender role. Even young children have very strong gender role associations or stereotypes:
A boy and his dad, they got in a severe car accident
They were rushed to the hospital where they were separated into separate rooms.
The doctor went into the boys room and said, "I cannot operate on him, he is my son.
How can this be?
Any ideas? Some readers may find the answer to this riddle very obviously, whereas others seem to be quite stumped (I speak from experience, my Adulthood Development teacher recently posed this question to our class). The answer: the doctor was the boy's mother. Obvious enough, but often we have such strong gender role stereotypes that the answer may seem a little illusive at first. Although gender roles are constantly changing and the lines between them are becoming blurred in many scenarios, many individuals still think of certain roles as either masculine or feminine. Like in the riddle, for example, the reason it may stump some is because people prescribe the role of a doctor to be masculine. If it has been a boy and his mother who had gotten in the car crash, and nurse walking in and saying "I cannot treat him, he is my son," the riddle may have been similarly confusing because a nurse is often thought to be a feminine gender role. Even young children have very strong gender role associations or stereotypes:This has been the focus of my recent readings, gender roles.
It is very possible for an individual to feel very committed to a certain role, but not participate in it often. This could be a father who is providing for his family; although he does not spend as much time with his children, his commitment may still be very high--some men view their job of providing as participation, or spending time and energy in the role of raising children. On the other side of the spectrum, an individual may participate in a role frequently, but not feel very committed to it. Maybe a mother works outside of the home, spending 40+ hours a week at a job (high participation), but does not feel like that is her main commitment--she is not emotionally attached to that role. Most people can understand this, however, my examples were using traditional gender role stereotypes. Would it be less settling if a women spent time (participation) with her children, but did not feel much commitment to them? Or if a man felt committed to work, but didn't put any time into it (potentially affecting his ability to provide for his family)?
Now that I've asked far more questions than answered, I'd like to pose one more: How much of gender roles are biologically based and how much are socially defined. Were women born as nurturing individuals and men as more aggressive providers? If that is the case, how do you account for those women and men who do not abide by those roles. (Reading the last sentence, is it weird to read a sentence that says "women and men" rather than "men and women"?) Or, is it not biology at all, but society that has defined certain gender roles? Probably--like everything else--it is a mixture of both. That said, I think it would be fascinating to dive deeper into the study of gender roles and understand how and why individuals practice them. I think Southern Italy, where traditional family roles are important, would be an interesting population to study. And hey, if I want to study the other end of the spectrum, Northern Italy isn't too far from Rome!
Gender Roles: Behaviors or occupations in which a particular gender is expected to engage in.
Traditional Gender Roles in marriage: typically place a man as the provider and the women as the nurturer who is responsible for raising children and taking care of household tasks.
Words for thought:
- How do you feel about a woman being the provider for a family? Is she neglecting her responsibilities to her husband and children by spending a majority of her time away from home?
- How do you feel about a stay at home dad? Is he a failure because he cannot or is not providing for his family? Is he competent to deal with the main nurturing aspects of raising children?
- Which spouse should be in charge of the majority of housework? Does the answer change depending on who is working? If both partners are working equally, who should take on more housework? Who do you think does more of the housework?
The importance of a gender role to a person is typically based on three things:
- Commitment--the emotional attachment to a certain role
- Participation--spending time and energy in or on the role
- Knowledge--which is most often gained from experience in a particular role
It is very possible for an individual to feel very committed to a certain role, but not participate in it often. This could be a father who is providing for his family; although he does not spend as much time with his children, his commitment may still be very high--some men view their job of providing as participation, or spending time and energy in the role of raising children. On the other side of the spectrum, an individual may participate in a role frequently, but not feel very committed to it. Maybe a mother works outside of the home, spending 40+ hours a week at a job (high participation), but does not feel like that is her main commitment--she is not emotionally attached to that role. Most people can understand this, however, my examples were using traditional gender role stereotypes. Would it be less settling if a women spent time (participation) with her children, but did not feel much commitment to them? Or if a man felt committed to work, but didn't put any time into it (potentially affecting his ability to provide for his family)? 
Now that I've asked far more questions than answered, I'd like to pose one more: How much of gender roles are biologically based and how much are socially defined. Were women born as nurturing individuals and men as more aggressive providers? If that is the case, how do you account for those women and men who do not abide by those roles. (Reading the last sentence, is it weird to read a sentence that says "women and men" rather than "men and women"?) Or, is it not biology at all, but society that has defined certain gender roles? Probably--like everything else--it is a mixture of both. That said, I think it would be fascinating to dive deeper into the study of gender roles and understand how and why individuals practice them. I think Southern Italy, where traditional family roles are important, would be an interesting population to study. And hey, if I want to study the other end of the spectrum, Northern Italy isn't too far from Rome!
Hi Kierea! I have read this book entitled Pink Think, that talks about how the media and culture have socialized women into being who they are today. It especially focuses on media from the 50s. You should check it out! http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Think-Becoming-Uneasy-Lessons/dp/0393323544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330215368&sr=8-1
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