Gender roles refer to personal and cultural factors that determine how females or males are expected to dress, think, interact and speak within a community. Most cultures favor males due to their masculinity, and most women aren’t given vital roles in society. Many women in the nation face a lot of discrimination due to gender roles and cultural values governing society.
Many cultures have adopted particular gender roles which are used to ensure that members in the community can maintain balance, efficiency and order. Traditionally, women are viewed as caregivers while men are given the role of the protectors and providers in the society. Gender roles and gender inequality is a significant issue in many non-American cultures such as China.
In Chinese culture, women are expected to handle less workload, and men must bear more responsibility in the workload than women. Men are more masculine than women, and this means that they’re expected and more equipped to handle difficult tasks that require a lot of energy (Chandradasa & Rathnayake, 2018). Due to their manliness, more males are selected as leaders because of their physical attributes rather than their intellectual capabilities. Sometimes women deserve to get specific roles that they are unable to due to the society feeling that men are superior to women.
In China, young boys are favored and expected to continue the family’s heritage. Girls are married off to other families, and they’re not likely to keep the bloodline. Most employers in China are reluctant to pay for any maternity costs of their female employees, and that’s why more men are advantaged when it comes to getting promotions or career opportunities. Women are also disadvantaged when they divorce their husbands and aren’t entitled to obtain property or wealth.
Most Chinese women lose their jobs when they become pregnant, and some organizations even discipline them for having children. Men enjoy better salaries and benefits than women regardless of which gender is more qualified. Women are expected to embrace their roles in the community, and they must take care of the young and old in society.
Almost all the country’s resources are geared to benefit more men. Many women have been unable to access or have any claim to properties from their husbands after divorcing them (Bjerrum Nielsen, 2018). Women are forced to choose between enhancing their careers or caring for their families. In 1980, many Chinese women were laid off and forced to be at home taking care of their families.
There is a need to modify the current gender roles in China, where unmarried women are viewed as remnants. The country currently faces an imbalance of gender, where there are approximately thirty-four million more men in the country than women. Women rights Federations should fight for the rights of women and campaign against gender discrimination in all areas. A quarter of the women in China have faced domestic violence at some stage in their lives, and the government should try to take measures to try and modify the cultural and social patterns (Basu, Zuo, Lou, Acharya & Lundgren, 2017). The government shouldn’t take part in undermining women in any society, and there is a need for the Chinese government to improve its efforts in fighting against social customs and prejudices that undercut the role of women in the country.
Women can contribute to society and discouraging them from enhancing their careers prevents them from accessing their rights and is harmful to both the Chinese traditions and customs. Gender roles remain the same in most communities, due to inequality in political, social and economic aspects. Gender inequalities are attributed to sexuality and ethnicity due to diversity in cultural and religious traditions. China should try to intensify its efforts in formulating new roles that protect the rights of women in society (Schieman, Taylor, Narisada & Pudrovska, 2019).
All women should have equal opportunities to enrich their careers by providing them with the same equal employment opportunities as men. Women should also be allowed to start new business ventures or search for better jobs that will make them more productive in society. Employment forms the central platform where people can change their lives by earning a sustainable income for their families.
Various non-American cultures still use traditional norms and gender roles to dictate how the community should behave (Amoah & Phillips, 2019). After clearly assessing these norms, my assumptions on gender roles have strengthened, and I believe that women have a right to pursue their dreams and careers no matter what ethnicity or culture. The employment structure in countries like China should be amended or improved to provide women with equal opportunities as men. Policies should be introduced, and NGOs should be ready to assist women by supporting their initiatives. Women should be provided with credit loans that will help them develop or build their business ventures.
Once gender roles are adopted in the early stages of childhood, they continue and become more accepted during adulthood. Gender roles exist in the workplace and play a role in organizational structures and division of labor. At home, gender roles influence decisions like child-rearing. Most men are assigned masculine duties, while women are assigned caretaker responsibilities. Gender roles in North America have changed drastically from traditions and now modern day “breadwinner moms” aren’t uncommon. When will the rest of the nation follow and allow women of all ethnicities to reach their full potential?
References
- Amoah, P., & Phillips, D. (2019). Socio-demographic and behavioral correlates of health literacy: a gender perspective in Ghana. Women & Health, 60(2), 123-139. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2019.1613471
- Basu, S., Zuo, X., Lou, C., Acharya, R., & Lundgren, R. (2017). Learning to Be Gendered: Gender Socialization in Early Adolescence Among Urban Poor in Delhi, India, and Shanghai, China. Journal Of Adolescent Health, 61(4), S24-S29. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.03.012
- Bjerrum Nielsen, H. (2018). Gender and Generation in Times of Change in China. NORA – Nordic Journal Of Feminist And Gender Research, 26(4), 255-259. doi: 10.1080/08038740.2018.1534351
- Chandradasa, M., & Rathnayake, L. (2018). Gender disparity as a threat to the mental well-being of young Sri Lankan women. Bjpsych International, 16(04), 90-92. doi: 10.1192/bji.2018.29
- Schieman, S., Taylor, C., Narisada, A., & Pudrovska, T. (2019). Underpaid Boss: Gender, Job Authority, and the Association Between Underreward and Depression. Work And Occupations, 47(1), 44-82. doi: 10.1177/0730888419885424
