What Determines Gender Roles Today

Over the last 10 years, the number of stay-at-home dads has doubled, currently
amounting to 1.4 million. What happened, shouldn’t dads be the breadwinner of the
family? Shouldn’t moms stay at home, take care of the children, and manage household
responsibilities? Well, the world is changing; and as a result, so does standards and
norms. Since time immemorial, genders were only classified as male and female.
Today, the presence of LGBTQ (and who knows what other letters will be added) is
confusing the world of the number of genders there are today. Currently, there are 63
known genders across the world. In addition, these new genders are petitioning for
rights and equality in their own country and society. People who identify themselves as
neither male nor female are struggling to find acceptance and belonging in their place
and thus join movements for the petition of their rights. These movements are similar to
movements organized by women as they appeal for equal rights with men. Both women
and the LGBTQ are fighting for the right of equality among all genders and the abolition
of the stereotyping that gender roles impose today.

Gender role is defined as the role or behavior learned by a person as appropriate

as their gender usually influenced by cultural norms. For this reason, women and the
LGBTQ community hope to limit the effect that gender roles institute because it limits
their power and influence in their societies. One example of the limit of their powers and
influence is genders that are not identified as males are said to be unfit to manage
political positions. However, this dogma was shattered on several occasions; one
instance being the appointment of Margaret Thatcher as the first female Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom. This means that albeit gender roles are powerful, stereotypical
bonds promulgated on people, their powers can still be diminished. Probing deeper, we
can study these gender roles in 4 aspects: biologically, culturally, socially, and biblically.

From a scientific perspective, gender is already determined at birth. Zygotes

(fertilized egg) that carry XY chromosomes will be developed into a male while zygotes
that carry XX chromosomes will develop into a female. Additionally, other factors such
as reproductive organs, sex hormones, and sex cells provide a clear distinction between
male and female human beings. From this information, we derived a conclusion that in
terms of biology, men are in-charge of emitting sperm cells and women are in charge of
providing the egg cells. You may argue that how come male who identifies themselves
as female and female who identify themselves as a male cannot reproduce despite
having their reproductive organs replaced for the organs opposite to their original sex?
The answer to that argument is that replacing reproductive organs with its counterpart is
only fulfilling 2 of 5 factors that determine gender roles in biology. These factors include
the presence of the Y chromosome, sex hormones, sex glands, reproductive organs,
and internal reproductive anatomy. The other 3 factors are indisputable because the
presence of Y chromosomes is determined at birth while sex hormones and glands are
a result of your brain sending signals to the reproductive organs in your body (you
cannot control the signals that your brain sends). In conclusion, the gender roles of
males and females in terms of biology cannot be replaced with the other.

Culture undoubtedly plays a large role in today’s gender roles. From a young
age, boys are taught to play with masculine toys like trucks, swords, and action figures
while girls are taught to play with more feminine toys such as dolls and cooking sets.
Similarly, boys are trained to do “manly jobs” such as mowing the lawn or fixing the
fence while girls are expected to do the laundry, wash the plates, and other “womanly
chores”. If these gender roles are reversed, such as if a boy prefers to play with a doll
rather than an action figure, they will receive criticism from society. A common
resolution to the earlier example is that the boy's parents will confiscate the doll and get
their child a new action figure. However, just like how the world is changing, culture
changes too. Nowadays, culture finds it acceptable if a boy plays with feminine toys and
does womanly jobs, and if a girl plays with masculine toys and manly jobs. You may
argue that if a culture has changed and has accepted males doing feminine things and
females doing masculine things, why do some people continue to criticize and
discriminate against the people who do such things? The answer is simple: these
people have not embraced the changing culture (although we are not implying that not
embracing the current culture is bad). Some people prefer the culture of the olden time,
others prefer using their discernment in sifting through what they find acceptable and
not. It all comes down to a matter of perspective and preference. In conclusion, we
believe that the gender roles, as defined by culture, are not definite because culture
itself changes over time. Some might find it acceptable for boys to wash the plates but
not to play with dolls. Whether these roles are acceptable or not is a case-to-case basis
and an ever-changing perspective of human beings.

Societally speaking, gender roles are determined according to the environment

you live in. Numerous factors affect how society views these roles such as region,
religion, principles and dogmas, and experiences of other people. For instance, a study
conducted in 2017 known as the Pew research closely examined how gender, age,
political affiliation, race, and level of education influenced the view of the people on the
leadership of women. When asked what were the most highly valued trait in terms of the
working group for male and female, the results came back with attractiveness for
females at 35% while honesty and morality for males at 33%. The results may exemplify
why 71% of the women interviewed claimed that they were pressured to be physically
attractive at work. Additionaly, 28% of the interviewed said that leadership and ambition
are traits that are not suitable for females. Based on the results of the research, we
deduce that 28% of the interviewed were biased when it came to the role of women as
leaders. You could claim that the people were not biased because it has been proven
that society prefers male leaders over females. Although your point in the latter part of
the statement is true, we disagree that the people were not biased. Even if people
believe that female leaders are inferior compared to male leaders, they strongly
believed that women should not have leadership and ambitious qualities at all, not even
a hint of it. The judgment of the people directly violates the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights Articles 1 and 2 which states that “We are all born free and equal” and
“No to Discrimination”. However, the study was conducted in the United States where
the discrimination of women is rampant. If you divert your attention to other countries,
you will discover that some of them had female presidents like Indira Gandhi of India,
Mary Robinson of Ireland, and Corazon Aquino of the Philippines. In these countries
that had female heads, gender stereotypes were slighter compared to countries that
had no female presidents (such as the US). We conclude that the reason for the
reduced discrimination is because of the different view of different societies that varies
with location, religion, and beliefs. In conclusion, the different views of societies affect
how a group of people view gender roles.

In the biblical context, only 2 genders were created by God, male and female.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he
created them; male and female he created them.” The Bible clearly states that God
created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve nor Madam and Eve. In fact, the Bible
mentions homosexuality as a sin on multiple occasions. Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies
with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They
must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." The warnings in Leviticus
discuss the consequences of homosexual actions. However, God provided redemption
for these sinners by sending his only Son into the world to die on the cross and pay the
penalty of our sins. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The verse
tells us of a powerful covenant that reminds us that no sin is big enough to separate us
from the love of God. God paid the price at the cross so that those who would believe in
him would have eternal life. Just like how God is a Father, Savior, and Redeemer to us,
He also assigned specific roles for each gender. 1 Peter 3:1 “Wives, in the same way
submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word,
they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.” The verse tells the
married women to submit to their husbands so that if the husbands will not believe in
God’s Word, they will view the fruit of their wives believing in God’s Word. 1 Peter 3:7
“ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them
with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so
that nothing will hinder your prayers.” Similarly, the verse tells the married men to be
considerate and respectful towards their wives because they are physically weaker
compared to their husbands. You may debate that wives (and women in general) are
not weaker than men; in fact, they are superior to men, just as Rashida Jones quoted.
However, the verse is referring to the difference between the physical strength of one
man and one woman. Biologically speaking, the presence of larger muscle fibers in men
makes them stronger than women by 30% to 40% but the data may vary on a case-to-
case basis. However, despite all the difference in each case, God gave men the
responsibility to lead and so we must obey his command. In conclusion, the gender
roles of male and female are clearly stated in the bible: men are to lead their wives and
love them with their whole heart. Meanwhile, women are to submit to their husbands so
that non-believing husbands can see the fruits of the Word of God through their wives '
behavior.

In summary, gender roles are shaped by 4 factors: biologically, culturally,

socially, and biblically. However, despite all the discrepancies in genders and gender
roles, we can all do one thing and that is to respect one another. Regardless of gender
and gender roles, we should respect each other as fellow human beings protected by
human rights. Finally, Jim James created a quote that wraps up the whole message of
the conclusion we have created, “I keep wanting people to realize that there needs to be
a tidal wave of peace and love. People should be treated with love and respect
regardless of the color of their skin or their sexual preference. We need to keep saying
that as much as we can and as loud as we can.”