Gender roles

    Hello everybody! I hope you've been able to learn or get a different perspective from some of my blogs so far. We live in such a crazy world in which we are hammered with gender stereotypes. Today I wanted to talk about some of those stereotypes and look at some research that seems to go against what the world is trying to convey. Men and Women have differences but both play a very important role in marriage and family.

First, I want to talk about some of the stereotypes regarding characteristics between men and women. American Culture over time has kind of shaped the idea of how a man or woman should act. We need to remember that not all cultural ideas and theories are accurate. Of course there is generally some truth but a lot of it is exaggerated. Let's dive into some of these ideas and talk about them:

Females are generally more social than males. Females often speak their mind more than males do. It is almost therapeutic for a female to talk about her emotions and feelings while on the other hand, it can be difficult for a male to do so. This generally makes it easier for a female to communicate in a relationship. It's naturally easier for a female to read emotions. A lot of men don't like to talk about how they are feeling. Generally, when women talk, they do it face to face. Men on the other hand like to talk side to side, preferably working on something (like a car for example). Women tend to be more cooperative and men tend to be a little more competitive. Women tend to be better nurturers while men tend to be better providers and protectors. Research shows that men often feel worthless when they feel like they aren't able to provide enough for their family.

Now not all of these are 100% true all of the time. These are just general characteristics that have been observed for a long time. In fact, a lot of these attributes can be switched between genders. There are lots of men who tend to be more feminine and there are a lot of women who tend to be more masculine. The point I want to make is that there is nothing wrong with that. It is a natural thing that happens. We can see how culture has taken these general characteristics and have twisted them to make it seem like you have to fit a certain mold. The truth is, our Heavenly Father has given us different personality traits and characteristics for a reason. Just because a man has feminine characteristics doesn't mean he is supposed to be a female. Many of these characteristics can actually be very beneficial. What woman wouldn't want to marry a man who tends to be able to read emotions well? When we look past the cultural and social pressures of gender roles, it's easier to see the benefits of these characteristics and why Heavenly Father made us this way. Many of these are Christlike attributes, and we know that when our home and families are based on the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, that's when a family is happiest.

In conclusion, we can take a look at a lot of different ideas and roles that each gender should play, but when we look at our characteristics and attributes as strengths rather than weaknesses, our relationships can be more understood and we can find happiness in them even though there are some differences. Thank you for taking the time to read another one of my studies. See you next week!