Culture and Ideology: That Annoyingly Long Game of Telephone

I found the topic of culture and ideology in relation to gender to be less interesting than expected. Perhaps because there have been reference to the ideas before or even due to the unlikelihood of seeing large changes in my lifetime. Yes, most people live in a patriarchal civilization. Yes, it’s true women are not treated equally, even in countries that brag to maintain equal rights. Yes, despite all the progress, women are not taken as seriously as men. Yes, when men or women act outside their gender roles, there are varying levels of consequences put on them by the larger society. All of these ideas have become my norms. I’m not usually a pessimist, but I don’t expect these ideas to change for a long time. Part of the reason I don’t feel there will be any differences is because of a statement I just made, “all of these ideas have become my norms”. I have been brought up in a culture that made the previous statements (and countless other ones on gender) part of my ideology.

I’m sad to admit that when I hear the word doctor, I picture a man, and conversely when I hear nurse, I picture a woman. I would be less interested in a man that didn’t automatically pay for a date (I assume, because I have never actually paid for a date). And should I decide to get married, I’m not sure I would appreciate the fact that I made more money than my husband. What may be more upsetting is that I’m not sure I’m as bothered as I should be at some of this unequal treatment. While I don’t like the fact that I’m expected to behave or think a certain way, I really don’t hate the idea of a man taking care of me. I know the little feminist in me is probably turning in her grave, but I think everyone should have the choice of how they want to live and how they want to be treated.

I guess the question to ask is how quickly will our culture adapt to the changes in gender norms? Are we only a generation or two away? I spent almost 7 years in an extremely male dominated environment. I’m not sure how I was perceived at the beginning, but I like to think I proved my capabilities to my superiors and peers after time. However, when I think of my accomplishments, I realized they were based on the standards of being male. Being able to compete physically, through athletics, and on the job, through work performance, is where I gained respect. The males didn’t have to prove they were better than me at things seemed to be more feminine. Hmm, that seems to be a double standard I hadn’t noticed until now. Regardless, I feel the more people act outside what is “normal”, the more likely our society with shift is socially constructed view of gender.