June 9, 2010

Today my gender myth assignment is to be turned into the instructor. I am actually kind of sad. I feel as if I was starting to grow a little more with my writing abilities. My blog even shows these changes. I feel I was able to become more aware of my surroundings and some of the most difficult conflicts of gender roles.

Gender roles have a very definite line drawn between a man and a woman. This line shows each sex what capabilities are expected. If these lines are crossed, many men become very confused about their roles. Why isn't the line drawn to show the differences in physical difference?

June 8, 2010

After I went to bed last night, I was thinking of anything I could have missed over the past two weeks about the differences between genders. I had a crazy insight. I forgot the most obvious issue surrounding my best friend and I every time we go to work--two females who work in an auto parts store. I can't believe I forgot. Everyday my friend is a work she gets at least two comments about a female in an auto parts store. The most common comment the two of us hear is man asking the owner (my friend's dad), why he has two girls working for him. He always replies the two of us know more than he does most of the time and not to underestimate our abilities. The women patrons of the store never question our abilities. They are always excited to have another female to help out because their husband sent them with a list and they have no idea what it is they are looking for. The downside is the mild sexual harassment that occurs. The men assume we are "men" and can handle all the "jokes." Why is it so hard for men to accept a woman working in an auto parts store?

June 7, 2010

Tonight while my husband and I went for a drive, we were discussing a married couples' relationship. (They are our friends and are having a rough time lately.) We both agreed the pair of them together are a bad combination. We then agreed when apart, they were fun to be around. I am sad for them because they have been married for 13 years and was so good together in the beginning. Then the conversation turned to why a man or woman cheats on their partner. I told my husband men usually cheat first and he said women cheat first and there are statistics to prove it. Why does a man or woman cheat? Where does the drive to make such a big mistake come from?

I looked for any statistics on who is most likely to cheat in a marriage, a man or a woman?

Ha ha ha! I was typing my question into Google's search bar and got as far as "who is more likely" and the rest automatically came up. All I found was a bunch of conflicting data and more of the reason why a man or a woman cheats in a relationship. Hmmm, oh well.

June 7, 2010

Many Quotes I found while browsing the internet.

• Advertisers in general bear a large part of the responsibility for the deep feelings of inadequacy that drive women to psychiatrists, pills, or the bottle. --Marya Mannes, But Will It Sell?, 1964
  
• How good does a female athlete have to be before we just call her an athlete? --Author Unknown
  
• There are very few jobs that actually require a penis or vagina. All other jobs should be open to everybody. --Florynce Kennedy
  
• One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man.~--Marlo Thomas
  
• If the world were a logical place, men would ride side saddle. --Rita Mae Brown
  
• If it can't be fixed by duct tape or WD-40, it's a female problem. --Jason Love
  
• Men want the same thing from their underwear that they want from women: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom. --Jerry Seinfeld
  
• God gave us all a penis and a brain, but only enough blood to run one at a time. --Robin Williams

June 6, 2010

I sent my husband to the grocery store today to get a few things for dinner. When he returned he was laughing about what he saw as he was leaving the store. I have talked to him about the gender myths assignment so I think subconsciously he was watching for something to maybe happen. He said he saw an older man open the car door for his wife and help her get in. Then the older gentleman proceeded to load the groceries into the trunk of the car. He smiled and thought how sweet. Then as he was pulling out of the parking lot he noticed another man, in his 30s, climb in his truck while the wife loaded the groceries and returned the cart. I cannot believe a man would do this. I see not doing all of it like the older gentleman, maybe helping out his wife and returning the cart or something. Wow. This world has changed gender roles.

June 5, 2010

Why can some men not do masculine things? Things they used to do. One of those things is fixing a woman's car. My friend, Shandis, came over asking my husband what was wrong with her A/C in her car. Shandis said her husband was too lazy to look at the car. She told my husband she appreciated him for being such a gentleman. She said men should behave more like gentlemen again. She said a man should still "court" their wife during marriage. I am glad my husband "courts" me. Shandis said she was jealous because my husband brings me flowers and takes me out on dates. She says her husband does not think it is necessary after marriage to continue to do those things. I am glad I am still special to my husband.

June 4, 2010

Today was the last day of the school year for my children. My daughter, Keltsee, was invited to a party at a friends' house. She was so excited to go to this party with her friends. She was planning her outfit and how to style her hair so she could look cute enough to fit in. She was worried about her looks because boys were also invited. I asked her why her looks meant so much. She told me the other kids would make fun of her if she did not look like them. Looking like them meant the same hair style and same clothes. I think it is unfair to young girls to have the pressure to look a certain way to be able to fit in and have certain friends. My daughter is a very beautiful girl and does not need to style her hair or wear certain clothes.

I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.--Madonna Ciccone

May 30, 2010

Why do I still feel so strange around my stepsister? I have known for about ten years now she is a lesbian. Kallee and her partner, Tara, have two sons. Both of these boys have the same dad because of the technology the modern world has. Kallee and Tara were artificially inseminated. Kaleb, their oldest son, had his 7^th birthday party today. I try not to be biased about their relationship, but it is hard not to be. I don't feel strange when I see a man and a woman hold hands or kissing. What makes these two any different? I also have a hard time wondering how two women could possibly raise these two little boys to be men without a man in the house. I hope I can raise my own sons' to be men and they have a dad in the house. Why is this so important?

Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There is just too much fraternizing with the enemy.--Henry Kissinger

May 29, 2010

Why is it when some men are asked to do something masculine they don't want to because women wanted equal rights? We went to my in-laws for dinner and it was really cold. Everyone was gathering up their jackets. My brother-in-law Traver went and found his sweater. When he returned his wife, Ivy, asked where her jacket was. Traver told her to go find her own. Ivy told him she was his wife and he should be a gentleman and get her jacket for her. Traver asked if she thought we were back in the 1920s. Ivy said no. Traver then reminded her that back in the 1970s women wanted equal rights and she had an equal right to walk to the car and get her own jacket. This shows men do not want to do more than they have too and women still want to be taken care of.

May 28, 2010

I think it is funny how boys and girls are expected to play with gender specific toys. My two youngest sons', Connor and Hagen, had a friend over to play the other day. Their friend told them someone would think they were "girly" if they played with a baby doll. Connor came to me and asked if he would be "girly" because he played with a baby doll. I told him no. I said there is nothing wrong with you playing with a baby doll. He looked a little confused, but accepted my answer. I think my little boys should play with dolls on occasion. It teaches them to be caring, kind, and gentle. Boys need to learn to be rough and to be soft. Girls also need to be taught to be soft and rough. This will help them to get along in any situation, as well as be kind and loving mothers and fathers.

Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry.--Joan Baez, "Sexizm Seen but not Heard," Los Angeles Times, 1974

May 26, 2010

Today in my English 1010 class, I was given a writing assignment about gender myths. The assignment was to write something, anything, about gender expectations and roles. I decided I would blog each day about different gender myths I noticed. I had a hard time coming up with the idea because of all of the examples I was given in class. I hope to become more aware of the world around me by exploring some of the gender myths.

You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy.--Erica Jong