By Yoselyn Refugio
One day I was playing dolls with a few girls and a little boy came over wanting to play also. Next thing I know I hear my mom tell him, “Leave the girls alone and go play with the boy toys.” After I heard that it sounded strange to me. I thought it was unfair of how he wasn’t able to freely choose on what he wanted to play with.
This was the first time I witnessed gender inequality. Gender inequality is the idea/situation where women and men aren't equal. It’s when people get unequal treatment or opportunities because of their gender. Gender inequality and discrimination are generally discussed as pertaining to women, but anyone can experience it.
Gender inequality is very visible when it comes to employment for women, according to John Gramlich's article “10 things we learn about gender issues in the U.S. in 2017” from the Pew Research Center: “About four-in-ten employed women (42%) say they have experienced some form of gender discrimination at work."
The same article also stated, “most Americans say women face a lot of pressure to be an involved parent and be physically attractive.” Women and men nowadays can relate by feeling pressured to look a certain way. Nowadays girls feel like they need to have a great body and style in some way to be accepted and fit in.
Camille, a friend of mine, has a similar issue of feeling pressured at home by her parents of being expected to wear certain clothes and a certain attitude, “They want me to act like a women and to do better than an average male, which affects me a lot by making me anxious from all their expectations."
When asked about her parents' stereotypes of men and women she said, “They expect a woman to have proper posture and to overall act like a woman. For men they expect to let them act however [they want]."
In my opinion, I felt really bad and just thought how unfair that is because I know there must be many other adults and kids who must experience this with their family, as well as at work, school, and overall society that we live in today.
My experience with gender inequality was a confusing stage in my life because I felt manipulated into behaving and thinking like my parents’ stereotypical mentality. My parents expect women to wear dresses, to wear bright colors, etc. They also expect a woman to only have "feminine qualities" such as do the cleaning, cooking, and working at home.
My parents wouldn’t just judge me but also my younger brother on what we liked to play with. When my brother was younger, he would play with cars and legos. I do have a sister but because she has down syndrome it would be difficult to interact with her. And because he was the only person I was able to play with, I would join in and play with the “boy toys” too. But my mom would get mad and tell me to leave him alone because I have my own toys to play with. I was sad and angry that I wasn't able to decide what I wanted to play with.
As I grew, I started ignoring my parents, and I started to dress however I liked and did what I liked. My parents started noticing how I would dress and sometimes act. They would tell me that that's not how a women should act. I would respond by saying that I was just having fun. As a result, they would lecture me about how because I’m a woman I should be into men.
I have talked to them that I like to dress how I dress because I feel comfortable. They understand, and sometimes when my mom goes shopping, she buys me clothes that she knows I like.
I have argued with my mom before about how she can't be discriminating people based on their actions or choices because of their gender. I got in trouble for arguing with her but I feel like, even to this day, I can't change the way she thinks about people because of their gender. But I know it's fine if she just understands me.
Based on my experience, gender inequality is very confusing and hurtful. People who live by the standards of others tend to grow more confused about their identity because they sometimes can feel pressured to follow others' expectations. Therefore, it is important to stay true to yourself and not have other people bring you down from what they think.
If one day I have kids of my own, I wouldn't judge them for their actions and looks. I would let them be however they would like to be. If one day they decide to do something society finds out of the ordinary, I would actually encourage that.
If there is a time where there is someone making you feel pressured to act or dress a certain way, for example a family member, you should talk to them. Don't be afraid to speak out your feelings and express yourself.
One day I was playing dolls with a few girls and a little boy came over wanting to play also. Next thing I know I hear my mom tell him, “Leave the girls alone and go play with the boy toys.” After I heard that it sounded strange to me. I thought it was unfair of how he wasn’t able to freely choose on what he wanted to play with.
This was the first time I witnessed gender inequality. Gender inequality is the idea/situation where women and men aren't equal. It’s when people get unequal treatment or opportunities because of their gender. Gender inequality and discrimination are generally discussed as pertaining to women, but anyone can experience it.
Gender inequality is very visible when it comes to employment for women, according to John Gramlich's article “10 things we learn about gender issues in the U.S. in 2017” from the Pew Research Center: “About four-in-ten employed women (42%) say they have experienced some form of gender discrimination at work."
The same article also stated, “most Americans say women face a lot of pressure to be an involved parent and be physically attractive.” Women and men nowadays can relate by feeling pressured to look a certain way. Nowadays girls feel like they need to have a great body and style in some way to be accepted and fit in.
Camille, a friend of mine, has a similar issue of feeling pressured at home by her parents of being expected to wear certain clothes and a certain attitude, “They want me to act like a women and to do better than an average male, which affects me a lot by making me anxious from all their expectations."
When asked about her parents' stereotypes of men and women she said, “They expect a woman to have proper posture and to overall act like a woman. For men they expect to let them act however [they want]."
In my opinion, I felt really bad and just thought how unfair that is because I know there must be many other adults and kids who must experience this with their family, as well as at work, school, and overall society that we live in today.
My experience with gender inequality was a confusing stage in my life because I felt manipulated into behaving and thinking like my parents’ stereotypical mentality. My parents expect women to wear dresses, to wear bright colors, etc. They also expect a woman to only have "feminine qualities" such as do the cleaning, cooking, and working at home.
My parents wouldn’t just judge me but also my younger brother on what we liked to play with. When my brother was younger, he would play with cars and legos. I do have a sister but because she has down syndrome it would be difficult to interact with her. And because he was the only person I was able to play with, I would join in and play with the “boy toys” too. But my mom would get mad and tell me to leave him alone because I have my own toys to play with. I was sad and angry that I wasn't able to decide what I wanted to play with.
As I grew, I started ignoring my parents, and I started to dress however I liked and did what I liked. My parents started noticing how I would dress and sometimes act. They would tell me that that's not how a women should act. I would respond by saying that I was just having fun. As a result, they would lecture me about how because I’m a woman I should be into men.
I have talked to them that I like to dress how I dress because I feel comfortable. They understand, and sometimes when my mom goes shopping, she buys me clothes that she knows I like.
I have argued with my mom before about how she can't be discriminating people based on their actions or choices because of their gender. I got in trouble for arguing with her but I feel like, even to this day, I can't change the way she thinks about people because of their gender. But I know it's fine if she just understands me.
Based on my experience, gender inequality is very confusing and hurtful. People who live by the standards of others tend to grow more confused about their identity because they sometimes can feel pressured to follow others' expectations. Therefore, it is important to stay true to yourself and not have other people bring you down from what they think.
If one day I have kids of my own, I wouldn't judge them for their actions and looks. I would let them be however they would like to be. If one day they decide to do something society finds out of the ordinary, I would actually encourage that.
If there is a time where there is someone making you feel pressured to act or dress a certain way, for example a family member, you should talk to them. Don't be afraid to speak out your feelings and express yourself.