Gender Roles

Gender is defined as the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). This explains that since gender is a social/cultural term rather than biological, we can relate this to specific gender roles.

So are men and women really all that different?

Let’s use directions as an example. Have you ever asked a man and a woman for directions? How are their directions different? Typically, (not always) men will focus more on spatial orientation (North, East, street names, etc.) while women will focus more on relationship orientation (landmarks).

This example explains a lot about the difference in men and women’s brains. The spatial orientation/relationship orientation goes past just directions. this relates to how men are more likely to take action immediately while women will take a moment to handle the emotions of a situation. Men are typically more straightforward, only handling one thing at a time, while women like to look at many different ways to complete a task and can be working on many things at once.

When it comes to parenting, mothers are generally more nurturing, while fathers are more playful and are most often the provider and protector. It’s important for a child to have both and mother and a father in the home, because having both of these gender roles as parents will give them the best upbringing possible. It helps children learn how to handle their emotions in both perspectives.

So if men and women are so different, how are we supposed to work together?

In a talk by Linda K. Burton, she says, “In a chapter about families, the Church handbook contains this statement: ‘The nature of male and female spirits is such that they complete each other.’ Please note that it does not say ‘compete with each other’ but ‘complete each other’! We are here to help, lift, and rejoice with each other as we try to become our very best selves.”

I could not agree with this quote more! I have seen in my own marriage that our traits, as men and women, work together beautifully if we will let them. When men and women work together, we can bring great things to the home and create a successful, loving family. It is important to use these traits we have been given as men and women to work together–to create this sense of “completing each other”. We as men and women have been given divine roles to use in our families, and if we can all find a way to put these traits together, we can be oh so happy and teach our children the wonderful joy of family!

I have found in my own marriage that my husband and I have completely different traits, some regarding to gender and some not. When we are willing to work together, my traits complete his, and vice versa. For example, I hate cleaning the bathroom and my husband hates doing laundry. So because he doesn’t mind cleaning the bathroom and I don’t mind laundry, we told each other that he will always clean the bathroom and I will always do laundry–our system works out so well! This is just a small, minor example of our traits as men and women working well together, but I have realized that because we communicated this to one another, it makes us so much happier and it makes our household so much more efficient!

Gender roles are so important when it comes to parenting. Although my husband and I are not yet parents, we have already talked about how we will handle things when we start our family. Because of our values, we have decided that my husband will work and I will stay at home with our kids. We believe that because women are more nurturing and teaching in nature, it is best that I stay home with the kids, to help raise them to be loving individuals. Similarly, because men are more protecting and providing in nature, we decided it would be best that my husband go to work and provide for our family. It is extremely important to decide family roles based on personal beliefs and values, while taking gender roles into consideration.

We must always remember that males and females are not the same. We weren’t made the same biologically, and we shouldn’t be treated that way culturally either. It is also important to note that while we are not the same, we are still equal. We both have amazing things to bring to society and both roles are equally important, especially in families.