Emily Bradley

ENGL 2010 TR
February 9, 2014

Are traditional gender roles important for a cohesive society?
Gender: Its been a vitally important variable in human culture for thousands of years. It
defines who does what jobs, what ones place in a society is, who decides on big things like
marriages, wars, food, shelter, movement, and the dividing of property.
Here in America we have a very clearly defined bi-
gendered system. Growing up, boys and girls know what
is expected of them from a rather young age. Fairfield
University outlines what most traditional genders roles
dictate about males and females in a table with the
following characteristics:
Males: dominant, independent, intelligent, rational, assertive, analytical, strong, brave,
ambitious, active, and competitive.
Females: submissive, dependent, less intelligent, emotional, receptive, intuitive, weak, timid,
content, passive, cooperative (Hodgson).
Some people say that the traditional gender roles that our society is based upon are
necessary for our way of life to continue. They believe that we need to stick to the ones that
Figure 1: An example of traditional
childrens toys and clothes.
weve been living with for the past century or more because they are what we were built on and
without them lines would blur and things would begin to fall apart. However, that being said,
there are also those who argue that gender roles of the past are antiquated and should be re-
defined, that the current gender ideals that we are forced into are only hurting and smothering
people. They declare that women should be equal to men in every way possible. These people
state that women should get equal pay, equal access to medical aide and insurance, that they
should be able to get any job they want as long as they qualify. At the same time, there are still
others that believe that gender itself should be done away with. Their perfect world is one in
which people are judged by who they are as a person, what theyve achieved, and how theyve
acted rather than their genitalia, as they are now. The people of this belief system are growing in
number and that trend only seems to be going up.
The Fight for Tradition
As mentioned above, there are those who are strong proponents of a strict, bi-gendered
system, perhaps one even more strictly defined as the one we currently have. They see the
ongoing movement towards gender fluidity as a doom upon our society.
One such proponent is Mark Tapson, a writer for the online pop-culture magazine called
Acculturated, who wrote an article called In Defense of Traditional Gender Roles, In this
article he talks about how the degradation of traditional gender roles is leaving guys in a middle
state of pre-adulthood. He blames the feminist movement for this phenomenon that what he
says seems to be centered mostly here in America, though there is no scientific study to back it
up, as he mentions. He not only puts the blame on the feminist movement, but also on the
popular media is portraying gender roles. Tapson states that: Their immaturity is reflected in,
and reinforced by, entertainment biz exemplars like Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell, in contrast
with the iconic masculine confidence of the John Waynes and Clark Gables of eras past.
While the idea of upholding traditional gender roles has become rather unpopular in the
past few decades, there are definitely those, like Tapson, who believe that they do, in fact, have
their own place in society, and are necessary for it to function. The set gender roles that are being
talked about have served society for quite a while now, and are just beginning to change and the
ramifications of these changes are just now being discovered, but because of the large role of
feminists in the United States research that looks at the benefits of the gender roles of the past
isnt as forthcoming as it might have been otherwise. Arguments for what we see as the normal
roles for males and females in our culture are few and far between, in part because those who do
publish articles and writings for this topic are quickly shot down as discriminatory and sexist
for the simple reason that the public feels that those roles were stifling and unfair, and the new
way of doing things is better and more equal.
Another supporter for traditional gender
roles is a man by the name of Roosh Vorek, who
runs a site that mainly specializes in bashing
feminism, arguing that the degradation of
traditional gender roles is ruining women, and
giving other men tips on how to pick up girls and
get laid. One of his many articles is titled,
Traditional Gender Roles Create Feminine Women in which he proposes that the current
western trend of unlimited choice for women is causing detrimental effects on our society,
men, and family values. In his own words on being feminine he states that:
Figure 2: A photo of Roosh Vorek, blog writer and
supporter of traditional gender roles
You wont be feminine if you think men are the enemy instead of your provider.
You wont be feminine if you place career before family. You wont be feminine
if you have no shame for being an overweight tatted-up slut. Enablers, in effect,
are creating a new breed of woman that only benefit men who profit from their
labor (capitalists) while robbing value from a potential husband who wants a
family and peaceful home. (Vorek)
Tapson and Vorek arent the only ones who believe these things, they are just two
examples of those who do. That being said, theirs isnt the only point of view on the issue of
gender roles.
The Fight for Fluidity
Another viewpoint about gender roles comes from those who see themselves as being
gender fluid, which GenderSpectrum, an organization devoted to promoting understanding and
education about various gender identities and terms, defines as, [something that] conveys a
wider, more flexible range of gender expression, with interests and behaviors that may change,
even from day to day (GS). For this reason, individuals who identify as gender fluid wish to see
our society become more tolerant of those who dont fit into the bi-gendered system. A more
personal definition is given by a blogger whos chosen the name Astrophy, she states that, For
me, it means that sometimes I am a woman, sometimes I am a man, and sometimes I am
androgynous. I do not mean that sometimes I feel manly; in every internal sense, I am a man in
those moments (Astrophy).
Being stuck in between the lines of societys norms doesnt appear to be easy and yet
there doesnt seem to be very much of a call for a system with no gender definition among this
minority group. This is not the case for everyone, though; some people do wish to completely
abolish the current, and any, gender system.
Another proponent of a gender fluid society is Judith Butler, a professor of Comparative
Literature and Rhetoric at the University of California in Berkley. Her most known about and
successful book, Gender Troubles, discusses in part how the feminist movement demands that
women are seen as their own separate groups, wherein they strengthened the bi-gendered system
by laying down a set list of characteristically womanly traits and values (Butler).
The Fight against Gender
In a third camp there are those, such as Donna Haraway, who was a professor of
Technoscience and Feminism at the European Graduate School in Switzerland, who believes that
gender isnt at all necessary, it only impedes individuals and society.
Haraway created the iconic idea of the cyborg, moving beyond feminism and identity
theory, she said, There is nothing about being female that naturally binds women. There is not
even such a state as 'being' female, itself a highly complex category constructed in contested
sexual scientific discourses and other social practices. She believes that societys ideas about
gender roles are flawed and constricting, not only to women, but to men as well (Haraway).
Another supporter of a society without a gender system is a student known only as Rae,
who submitted an essay on a student paper website called Serendip. She starts out her paper
saying:
I dream of a future in which the gender binary system--the system that forces all
people into one of two strictly defined gender categories, man and woman--will
no longer exist. Regardless of how they identify in terms of sex or gender,
regardless of how they express themselves, all people will be treated equally as
human beings.
Her essay outlines how a system in which there are no strict gender norms would help
everyone thrive. She also explains how we as a society can start making changes in order to
make this a reality (Rae). These are just two examples of people who support a world without a
gender norm system.
The Wrap-Up
There are multiple sides to every story, multiple perspectives to ever issue, each one
unique and important to consider when learning about a topic. People often seek information that
supports their opinions, because that is often the information that is easiest to find, but to be true
scholars and critical thinkers, all the sides should be researched. Gender, gender norms, and how
we define gender is a topic that is only going to continue to grow, it wont just go away on its
own.
Works Cited:
Astrophy. "I Am Genderfluid." Groupthink. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
<http://groupthink.jezebel.com/i-am-genderfluid-1558789334>.
"Donna Haraway - Biography." The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
<http://www.egs.edu/faculty/donna-haraway/biography/>.
Gauntlett, David. "Judith Butler." Theory. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
<http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-butl.htm>.
Hodgson. "Traditional Sex Roles." Gender. Fairfield University, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
<http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/hodgson/Courses/so11/gender/Gender1.htm>.
Rae. "Dismantling the Gender Binary System." Serendip Studio. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/5858>.
Tapson, Mark. "In Defense of Traditional Gender Roles." Acculturated In Defense of Traditional
Gender Roles Comments. Acculturated, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
<http://acculturated.com/2013/02/14/in-defense-of-traditional-gender-roles/>.
"Understanding Gender." Gender Spectrum, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
<https://www.genderspectrum.org/understanding-gender>.
Vorek, Roosh. "Traditional Gender Roles Create Feminine Women." Roosh V. N.p., 25 Mar.
2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://www.rooshv.com/traditional-gender-roles-create-feminine-
women>.

Photographs Cited:
Figure 1. N.d. Photograph. Public Domain. Sociology 165. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
<https://sites.google.com/a/uw.edu/sociology-165-jordan-winters/home/children-and-gender>.
Youtube. Figure 2. N.d. Photograph. The Washington Times. Washington Times: Communities.
WT. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/conscience-
realist/2013/mar/15/roosh-v-political-correctness-and-dating-american-/>.