gender roles

A look at the evolution of gender roles, from Leave It to Beaver, paternity leave, female breadwinners and more.

Working for Men in a Female Dominant Office
I work in an office of fifteen people, and nine of us are women. Two of the men are part-time only, so this leaves four men that work in my office full-time. All four of these men are my bosses. There is only one woman in a position of power.
By Zoe Mize7 years ago in Viva
Stereotypes that Threaten Women in Leadership
Introduction Women face many difficulties in the workplace, several revolving around leadership, and their perceived ability to lead, especially in male dominant offices and organizations. In recent years, the United States has begun to move towards egalitarian households, where they have traditionally been paternalistic households. Paternalistic households generally included the male/father/husband figure working, and the female/mother/wife remaining at home. Egalitarian households include both parents/partners working, and living in equal roles, contributing to the financial, and physical well-being of the household, and lives dependent on the contributors. Many, if not the majority, would consider this move towards female-male equality to be a stepping stone in history, one that is long overdue. According to data collected in 2017, women now account for 47 percent of the United States workforce (Warner & Corley, 2017).
By Aly Ray7 years ago in Viva
I'm Not Sorry Anymore
From a very young age, I remember being highly aware of EVERYTHING. Including the way people spoke about women. It seems as though everyone has their own idea of what the "perfect" woman consists of. Unfortunately, it was in my nature from day one to try and comply.
By Amanda Varriale7 years ago in Viva
The Struggles of Being a Woman
Recently, we celebrated the day called "International Women's Day" in Poland; this day is almost as, or maybe even more so, important than Mother's Day. I feel that Mother's Day has become over-commercialized and it makes Father's Day look a little sad. Anyways, that is a whole different topic. Today, I want to share with you the fears that women have when going to places alone.
By Ada Zuba7 years ago in Viva
The Princess
The Princess: A Play in One Act Players Mother—40s, dressed in semi-formal loose blouse, and pants. She carries a large pocketbook.
By Blaise Terese7 years ago in Viva
Gender Roles in Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe never wrote many female figures into his novels. If he did feature female characters, they were either unimportant to the story or killed off. Poe was a mysterious man who went through a lot of hardships. His biological mother died when he was only three, his adopted mom died from tuberculosis, and his marriages didn’t end well. Poe rarely had a female figure throughout his life, which may account to why there are so few women in his stories. All his stories seem to have a male lead, but over time critics have speculated that his story The Tell-Tale Heart may have a female narrator. When studying the text closely, there is no textual evidence that supports the narrator of the story is in fact male.
By Marielle Sabbag7 years ago in Viva
If a Boy Doesn't Like You, You Still Have to Like Yourself
To the girl who's reading this. I know you. Hell, I am you. You are the girl that swipes right on Tinder hoping you will come across that one guy who will say he isn't just looking for some "fun." You're the girl who believes what these guys tell you. Whether they tell you that you're the most "beautiful girl they have ever seen" or that they would "love to wake up to those green eyes in the morning."
By Amanda Gabrielle7 years ago in Viva
The Number One Thing We Need to Stop Teaching Little Girls...
When I was a little girl, I was always confused by the directions given to me by my parents, grandparents, and other elder family members.
By Reigning Women7 years ago in Viva
Mansplaining to Men
A heated conversation in a bustling city pub inspired me to write this article. I'm fed up of explaining to other men my views on feminism. Too many men see the ever common discussions on sexism and women's rights as an attack on their masculinity. But this simply isn't the case.
By Michael Writes7 years ago in Viva
Sexism: Reality or Fiction?
You've heard the saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." This statement holds true in the sports arena when it comes to the differences between male and female athletes. In today’s world, female athletes are learning the hard way that even if they train harder than their male counterparts and out-perform them, they will still not receive the same recognition or money that the guys make.
By Joseline Burns7 years ago in Viva
'The Story of an Hour'
The Story of an Hour is a short story published by Kate Chopin in 1800s. The story is set on the protagonist, Louis Mallard and her marriage with Brently Mallard that shapes much of the story later on. The story unfolds after Louis hears about the death of her husband in a train accident. She is informed of this tragic news by her sister, Josephine. Upon hearing this, Louis is devastated and promptly rushes upstairs to her room where she locks herself up. Louise takes a seat and watches out an open window. She sees trees, smells drawing nearer rain, and hears a seller shouting out what he's offering. She hears somebody singing and also the hints of sparrows, and there are fleecy white mists in the sky. She is youthful, with lines around her eyes. As yet crying, she looks into the separation. She feels uneasy and tries to smother the building feelings inside of her, yet can't. She starts rehashing the word "free" to herself again and again. Her heart thumps rapidly, and she feels warm.
By Daveline Mompoint7 years ago in Viva
American Woman as Wage Earner
The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes. ~Bella Abzug The U.S. Department of Labor reports that women made up 46 percent of the workforce in 2006. 60 percent of America’s women were employed either full time (75 percent of working women) or part-time (25 percent). Of 136.5 million women in the labor force, over 30 million of them (22 percent) are employed within the service industry (kitchen work, food prep, waitresses, maids, janitors, etc). It is projected that women will account for 51 percent of the "total labor force growth" between 2004 and 2014. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in 2006, women were earning an average of 80.6 cents for every dollar her male counterpart brought home. In middle school, when the teacher asked what we wanted to be, I didn’t hear one little girl say she dreamt of a career in the service industry.
By Matthew Evans7 years ago in Viva