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PerriSmith
ProfessorBlandford
Proposal
02October2015

ExtendedInquiryProposal

FormyExtendedInquiryassignmentIaminvestigatingthedoublestandardsthat
negativelyaffectmeneveryday,specificallythosethatareperpetratedineverydayrelationships
andeverydaylife,andhowtheyrelatetodoublestandardstowardswomen.Ichosethissubject
becausethereisalotofattentiondrawntodoublestandardswithwomen,buthardlyevertomen.
Infact,acommondoublestandardwithmenisthattherearenodoublestandards.Menaretold
thatwehaveitworse,orthattheyarecomplainingtoomuch.Ihaveexperienceddouble
standardsfromayoungage,asmanyfemalesandmalesdo,however,manydonotthinkabout
howtheothergendercanbetreatedunfairly.Whentrulythinkingaboutdoublestandards
perpetratedineverydaylife,Irealizedthatwomendonotnecessarilyhaveitanyworsethan
men.Thedoublestandardseachgenderfacesaredifferent,butequallyunfair.
Iknowalreadythatmenfacedoublestandardsinrelationshipswiththeirfriends,
coworkers,significantothers,andfamily.Ifyoutrulypayattention,youcanseeitindailylife,
witnessitonsocialmedia,andsometimesevenlistentomendiscussit.Oftentimesmenand
womenexperiencedoublestandardsinthesamecategoryindifferentways.Forexample,men
areexpectedtopursuecareersinmanlierprofessionssuchaslaw,medicine,business,


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engineering,etc.Ifmenareinterestedinaprofessionsuchasnursing,theyareseenas
feminineandlessmasculineandsometimesevenreferredtoasgay.However,oftentimes
womenarediscriminatedagainstwhentheypursuecareersthataremaledominated.Evenon
UNCCharlottescampusIhearstudentstalkabouthowtherearefewfemalesintheengineering
program,whichshowsthatwhilesomeofthesestereotypesarebeingbrokendown,therearestill
majorsandprofessionsthatareconsideredmaledominated.Ialsoknowthatthegenderroles
issueisprevalenttobothmalesandfemalesindifferentways,butbothgendersaretryingto
escapesomeofthestereotypesandsocialnorms.
Iplanonmakingmyprimaryformofresearchaseriesofinterviews,askingmaleswhat
doublestandardstheyfaceinspecificareasintheireverydaylife.ThequestionsIwillask
include:
1. Didyoufaceanydoublestandardsasachild?Ifso,what?
2. Whilelivinginyourparent/guardianhousehold,whatdoublestandardsdidyou
experienceinyourhomelife?
3. Whatdoublestandardshaveyoufacedwhenitcomestowhomyouinteractwith?
4. Whatdoublestandardshaveyoufacedinromanticrelationships?
5. Explainwhatyouthinkgenderrolesare,andhowtheyaffectyouineverydaylife.
6. Whatdoublestandard(s)affectyouthemostandwhy?
Thesearejuststartingpoints,andwillhopefullyleadtoothertopicsandhopefullyasolid
amountofinformationtobasemypaperoffof.Iwouldliketobasemyresearchsolelyon
interviewing1823yearoldmales,sotheywillprimarilybestudentsenrolledatUNCCharlotte.
WhileIcouldelaborateondoublestandardsintheworkplace,Iwouldhavetobroadentheage


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rangeonthetopictoabout35,andIwanttokeepthefocusontheyoungergeneration.Iwantto
dothisbecauseIwanttoinvestigatehowthesedoublestandardsweareraisedwithaffectthe
waywethinkaboutcertaintopics.
IfinterviewingotherstudentsenrolledattheUniversityisnotassuccessfulasIthinkit
willbe,Iwillmostlikelyturntoblogandsocialmediaoutletstoinvestigatemensopinionson
thetopicandhowtheyfeelaboutspecificissuesthathavetodowithgenderrolesanddouble
standards.Furthermore,ifthisisunsuccessful,Iwillhavetobroadentheagerangetoinclude
moreinformationoncareersandrelationshipswithlongtimepartnersinthehome.Ontheother
hand,ifIfindsomuchinformationthatitwouldbeimpossibletotalkaboutitall,Iwillhaveto
narrowdownmysubject.Insteadofinvestigatingdoublestandardsineverydaylife,Iwould
havetofocusononeortwoconcepts.Forexample,ineverydayinteractionsandromantic
relationships.
Inconclusion,IamwritingthispaperondoublestandardsbecauseIfeelverystronglyon
thetopic.Thisresearchpaperwillfocusondoublestandardsaffectingmalesineverydaylife,
relationships,andactivities.Iwillinterviewseveralmalestodiscusswhatdoublestandardsthey
facemostoftenandhoweachaffectstheindividual,andtodosomeresearchonsocial
media/blogs,whereyoungwritersusetheirvoicetodiscusscontroversialsubjects.Ibelievethis
topicisveryimportantbecausedoublestandardsimposelimitationsonmenandwomenslives
alike,andexposingtheissuesthataremostprevalentforeachgendercanhelptobreakdownthe
stereotypesthatmakeeachdoublestandardvalid.