Gender Roles in Asian, African, and Western Societies (Week 7) Discussion

CHAPTER 7 -- GENDER ROLES IN ASIAN, AFRICAN, AND WESTERN SOCIETIES In his play \'As You Like It\", William Shakespeare mentioned that \"All the world\'s a stage, and all men and women merely players\...\" By this, he meant that everyone of us has a role to perform, a task to work on. Be it at home,...

CHAPTER 7 -- GENDER ROLES IN ASIAN, AFRICAN, AND WESTERN SOCIETIES In his play \'As You Like It\", William Shakespeare mentioned that \"All the world\'s a stage, and all men and women merely players\...\" By this, he meant that everyone of us has a role to perform, a task to work on. Be it at home, in school and in the society, as a whole, we need to be aware of our roles. But what are roles? Who determines our roles? **Gender Roles** ***Roles*** are the tasks and responsibilities we are supposed to do in a particular place/situation. At school, you are a student and you are expected to study; you also have the role of a classmate. At home, you are a son or a daughter to your parents, younger/older brother or sister to another sibling. Likewise, you have a role in your community, as a good neighbor. You also have a role in the society, as a citizen. How do we know our roles? Do parents explain it to us as we grow older? Can you remember a particular moment your parents discuss with you your specific role in life? I guess, you can\'t. Roles are ascribed to us even upon birth. As soon as our biological sex is. determined, our roles are assigned as well. A son is expected to be strong, protects his sister/s, finds a job, and eventually supports the family. A daughter is caring, attends to her younger siblings, helps mother in household chores and becomes an obedient wife soon. These are not told to us by our parents, but we believe in them because these are the norms in our society. Gender roles are influenced by the norms, determined by the society. Children learn their gender roles through the socialization process on which four major agents reinforce such roles on them. These agents are the family, education, peer groups and mass media. Each of these agents create normative expectations for gender-specific behavior. Similarly, exposure to secondary agents such as religion and the workplace heightens such expectations. **Gender Roles In Philippines** Let us look at the gender roles in the Philippines. Looking back at the pre-colonial Philippines, Filipino women enjoyed similar privileges like their male counterparts. Both men and women held enormous power within a clan. Both could own property, engage in trade and demand for a divorce. Both could also rule a village, especially in the absence of an heir. This explains why names of Dayang Buka (c. 900 CE), Hara Udaya (c. 1301-1377), Dayang Sima (c. 637 CE), and Dayang Kalangitan (1450- c. 1515), to name a few, surfaced among early women leaders in the Philippine history. They all became prominent leaders, along with their husbands. The so-called ***babaylan***, a group of select women, held vital roles in the community, known as ***barangay***. These revered women served as spiritual leaders, tasked to hold rituals for the community and the source of guidance and knowledge on a lot of things such as agriculture, medicine, among others. There were also cross-dressing males who assumed the role of the female babaylan. With the esteem and authority the datu shared with the babaylan, the latter could take charge of the barangay in the absence or loss of the former. The arrival of the Spaniards changed everything when they noticed that the Filipino women were almost of equal footing with men. They immediately relegated the women on the sidelines and imposed authority on every male in the family. The male started to do all the decision- making for the family and the female counterparts were left in the domestic affairs. These went on for centuries, even after the Americans and the Japanese occupied the country. It took two world wars before women all over the world, including Filipino women, started to enjoy opportunities and privileges, previously enjoyed by men alone. Both men and women can now participate in local and national elections. Both can now pursue a career. Both can travel freely. Both have options in marriage. These are some both genders can enjoy in this era. However, despite modern technology and global changes, the influence of culture is very much apparent in most societies. **Gender Roles in Asian, African and Western Societies** Here is a glance on the roles of women and men in some parts of the world: **Asia** With Japan recognized as an economic superpower, gender roles remain highly influenced by its culture. Societal obligations are still observed in their roles. 1\. Japanese women still control the household, family decision and finance. 2\. Japanese mothers are expected to prepare obento box tradition or elaborate lunches for their children to take to school. 3\. Japanese men have to work for hours on end for their companies and even spend their free time for the company. 4\. Japanese men are expected to socialize with their managers after long work days. 5\. Men are usually recruited directly from colleges and universities by large Japanese companies that seek to foster loyalty and train employees for their own purposes. 6\. Women are considered temporary workers and companies do not invest in their training because women are expected to devote more time to their families. 7\. Japanese parents save money and spend more sending their sons to universities. Daughters are encouraged to take two-year courses. 8\. Marriage is considered a national duty for women; thus, they are not expected to work full-time and spend years in a company. 9. Japanese women, once married to the eldest sons, are supposed to take care of not only their children but also their husbands\' parents. **Latin America** In ***Latin America***, cultural specific values and beliefs shape the gender roles and social expectations of men and women. The terms machismo and marianismo describe the set of ideal attributes of males and females, respectively, that has developed in the region. Machismo refers to the cult of male virility, in which the ideal man is bold, intransigent, and sexually aggressive. Marianismo, on the other hand, refers to the cult of feminine moral superiority, which defines the ideal woman as selfless, submissive, and possessing great spiritual strength. 1\. Because women are expected to be nurturing and morally superior to men, they have been assigned to duties associated with the family, particularly the rearing and education of children. 2\. By virtue of their supposed strength and assertiveness, men are given exclusive domain over the public sphere (i.e., politics, economy, international affairs, etc.). They are exempted from any responsibility in the home. 3\. The men are expected to work hard, protect and provide for a family who depends on him for economic support. 4\. This sense of empowerment tends to cause men to express dominance and superiority inside the home. **Europe** Economic restructuring in Europe has greatly influenced the traditional gender norms. 1\. Both men and women engage in earning as well as caring activities. 2\. More fathers embrace the idea of active parenting. 3\. Women do not withdraw from the labor market upon marriage or motherhood but continue their work in companies. 4\. Women\'s increasing economic independence has been seen as a main cause of new family patterns. **Africa** ***Africa***, home to 54 sovereign states, has long-standing beliefs concerning gender roles. Most of its traditional social organizations are male-centered and male dominated. Gender roles remain unchanged. 1\. Patriarchy upholds the supremacy of the man over the woman no matter how young, immature and uneducated the man is he is the key decision-maker and the protector of the family. 2\. Women are viewed as home makers, child bearers, and wives. 3\. Women are expected to raise children, cook, clean house, fetch wood, and serve others. 4\. Women are subjected to repeated childbearing at short intervals either to satisfy their husband\'s quest for large family size or as a solution to the high infant morbidity and mortality in the continent. 5\. In most societies, men dominate and, in some cases, absolutely control the interactions and actions of their family members in virtually all spheres of social relationship. 6\. In all sectors of the economy, men occupy the majority of the higher paid jobs. Even when both men and women have the same jobs, men are always paid more. **North America** ***American women*** have made great progress in closing the gaps and achieving equality with their male counterparts. The following are prevalent in the American society. 1\. Both wives and husbands earn for their family. 2\. More men help in household duties. 3\. Both parents are becoming more involved in raising their children. 4\. Women have become more involved in recreation activities such as sports. 5\. More women have joined once male-dominated occupations like firefighting, construction, agriculture, aerospace engineering, among others.