Mens and Womens Role Essay Example

The role of the woman, historically, has been that of a supplement to the man, doing what she must for him to do what he must. Society has shifted, with more women being independent and presiding over their own lives and goals; however, there are still egregious effects of those centuries of being forced, through legislation as well as cultural pressure, to present oneself as an infantilized, dependent character. This series of events has led to just what Margaret Thatcher stated: “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.”

It is a common occurrence for a woman to be asked if she plans on having children, and if so, how many, with whom, at what age, and so forth. This question, when answered with something akin to “I don’t want to have kids,” will almost always earn a response along the lines of “You say that now, but when you're older…” A woman is seen not as what she can do, but as what she can do for someone else.  She is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a secretary; she is a helper. Juxtaposing these assumptions about women is assumptions about men.

Men are the breadwinners, the geniuses, the hard workers. This idea of manhood being equated to being a provider would lead one to think that this means men get things done; however, having scrutinized the men that I have known and heard of, it seems that this is not the case. The man works a labor job, perhaps construction, but he accomplishes nothing with the children, with the house, with the bills, with the woman. The man works, but he does not do as the woman does, or, at least, it seems so from my perspective. As long as the man is providing the means, he need not provide the end, the woman shall, and this relationship is the epitome of what Margaret Thatcher meant in her quote.

It has been, in my experience, that the man provides the money, but he does little more. The woman works, she cleans, she bears, she pays: the woman gets duties done for the betterment of the household. The man works, he sits, he drinks a beer or two, he hangs out with his buddies: the man talks. He will go on and on about the slew of issues with the house, the plumbing, the car, the job, but he will not rectify those issues, rather, he will only speak of them. If you tell a man that you need some thing needs done, he will discuss and evaluate and “check it out” for days upon days; if you tell a woman that some thing needs done, she will reach beyond her own means to fix it just for your, and, by proxy, her own, ease of mind.

Are these traits exclusive?  No, of course not.  The role of the man and the woman, and the generalizations and caricatures of those roles, are formed from one’s own perception, one’s own experience, one’s own identity. All together it is no matter, for just as the women will change their minds on children, so will the men talk and the women do.