Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essays

Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essays Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essay Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essay Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender. To me, gender has always been the basic distinction between men and women. It signifies the difference between the way men and women lead their lives, how and with which gender they identify themselves. What this means to me, is that people divide themselves into two groups and identify themselves with the social attributes and gender roles associated with those genders. Gender is not simply the natural physiological distinction, it is also the construct into which people try to fit and identify with. Personally , I identify with the female gender role and in my ulture, the woman is the one whose responsibilities include tending to the house chores and to make sure everybody is well fed . The very first rule I had decided to break was to stop cleaning, cooking, doing laundry and serving food for a couple of days . In my culture, a typical Russian woman is faced with certain expectations that she is expected to follow because it simply is the order of things. I am expected to cook, to follow this gender role . It is a huge part of female gender role that I am accustomed to and this is exactly why I had decided to break it. I decided that the ost genuine responses are extracted when the family wont know it is an experiment and I had not told anybody about this . But already form the morning when I hadnt made breakfast for the family , or washed the dishes afterwards, my family was in shock and awe. This is exactly the type of response I had expected. While my mom and sister cleaned up the table, I Just sat there and drank my tea without any signs of haste. My mom came up to me and asked if I was feeling well or why I hadnt helped. My dad was telling me to resume the housework because miou are the eldest daughter and you have to . It became clear to me that this gender role had been passed down from generation to generation of women and I was Just following the culturally acceptable way. For my second experiment, I chose to borrow my boyfriends clothes for a day and take a ride on the train on Staten Island where I live. Usually, I try to look my absolute best by doing my hair, spending time on makeup and picking out a stylish outfit. On the train, I frequently catch men looking at me, and sometimes women giving me compliments as well. This time however, I decided to illicit a different response. I put on my boyfriends Jeans, one of his T- hirts a hoodie, and some chunky male sneakers. That day I didnt use makeup or hair products. The response I expected was a few dirty looks and nothing more, because some people were bothered by a woman dressing as a man. I assumed there would be nothing more offensive because I thought people were pretty open minded and could Just mind their own business. Then, I got on the train and say down slouched over with my legs spread in a manly sitting pose. Immediately I spotted a few Old Russian women staring at me and talking about me with disgusted looks on their faces. They were scolding me for how I was dressed as a man. Across from me were a few teenage boys who proceeded to make fun of me thinking that I couldnt hear them through my headphones, which I strategically put on silent. They out and how un-ladylike I was acting. I have never felt like this before and I was infuriated that people in NYC were still so closed minded living in this day and age . After conducting these experiments, I have concluded that gender rules in our society play a very important role in our daily lives. There are behaviors deemed only permissible for men or only for women. These behaviors are part of a gender role that dictates our standards and