Roles and Rejection

     In my previous blog post, I said that to truly get to the issue of who to teach, we need to start at the very beginning and analyze traditional gender roles. A peer reviewed article by Amy M. Blackstone describes the history and biology behind the gender roles so firmly rooted in our society. Contrary to how people confuse it, gender refers to the roles humankind has created and assigned to each sex and is a purely social construct. While men were taught to be strong leaders, both mentally and physically, women were taught to nurture their young and raise them into capable human beings. It has even been suggested that "women have a natural affinity toward the feminine gender role and... men have a natural affinity toward the masculine gender role" (Blackstone 3).

A wife serving her husband dinner in an example of the traditional gender roles. Photo by George Marx.

     However, feminists have often remarked that gender roles can be unlearned as easily as they can be learned. They argue these roles are based on outdated and exaggerated stereotypes concerning what men and women should do. For example, males are stereotyped to be cool and stoic, while females are overly emotional and care more about what others think of them than males do (Blackstone 3). They also believe that gender roles come from positions of power, such as men being in control of the fiancial aspects of their families. (Blackstone 3). Is the power position men are normally associated with a reason why sexual assault is usually man on woman?

     An essay by Jessica Bauer would suggest so. It describes a rape case at her university, in which a nearly unconcious freshman girl was gang raped by a fraternity. While the case made the university's newspaper and became the talk of almost everyone around, the members of the fraternity chose to keep it a secret and not let anyone know. The freshman came out about what had happened to her, only for others to decry her case and accuse her of lying. This quickness to disbelieve the words of a broken student came from the Duke rape case, in which a lacrosse team was falsely accused of rape. The end result was the girl eventually dropping out college and being hollow and broken, while the rapists only lost the privilege to accept pledges. "Big freaking deal," Bauer sarcastically describes their punishment. (Par. 2)

     Absolutely pathetic. Why are we so quick to call lies on such a series issue and believe said lies just as easily? What can we do to change this backwards mentality and at least reduce the frequency of these cases? How can we make everyday life more comfortable for women constantly in fear of being assaulted and not even being believed after doing everything in their power to come forward? I will continue to explore the answers and solutions in my next post.

Works Cited:

Blackstone, Amy M. “Gender Roles and Society.” The University Of Maine, Aug. 2003,                           digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=soc_facpub.

Bauer, Jessica. "Campus Culture Allows Rape to Go Unpunished." Date Rape, edited by Mary E. Williams, Greenhaven Press, 1998. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.frccwc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010008235/OVIC?u=west59484&sid=OVIC&xid=1a4a8c79. Accessed 10 July 2019. Originally published as "Duke Rape Case Hits Raw Nerve," ReadingEagle.com, 2006.