Traditional Roles of Men and Women free essay sample

The traditional family roles of men and women have certainly changed over the last few generations. The traditional family has been defined since the biblical days. It portrays men as the independent hunters and women as the dependent gatherers. However, today there is a continuing decline of the traditional family and the rise of the equal two-earner family. The traditional roles of men and women were established to enable power to head of household, which is historically known as the male.In the past, children have been raised to expect men to be brave, dominant and industrious while the women have been expected to be weak, timid and nurturing. A boy was raised to believe that his role would be that of the sustainer of wealth and the head of the family. For his education, it was very important for boys to attend school to obtain a great occupation where professional qualifications were only important for men. We will write a custom essay sample on Traditional Roles of Men and Women or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On the other hand, a girl was raised to believe that education was not important for her, so she had to stay home and help her mother with the chores. The workplace was not the primary area of women as career advancement is viewed upon as unimportant for women. Her role was to find somebody who would marry and provide for her. Thus, she needed to focus on perfecting herself by practising household chores and learning to cook in order to satisfy her husband.In a marriage, the mans traditional roles was the worker and protector, he provided the food and home while the woman was the home maker, the cook, the cleaner and the nurturer of children. When it came to decision making, the man had the last say, where as the woman was viewed as a valueless servant of the powerful man of the household. Fortunately, as a consequence of the success of the suffragette and feminist movements, the traditional roles have been lost.Marriage is now about equality rather than power and domination on the man’s part. Now, education, politics and job opportunities have opened up for woman. Today, school is viewed as important for both girls and boys and same qualification for men and women for job opportunities. More women have joined the work force and more men have taken on household tasks. In the past, housekeeping and child care are the main functions of the woman. Now, all housework is done by both the mother and father.In addition, todays society has evolved into a mix of single parents, double income families and homosexual parents/partners. Along with that, women have adapted and gained independence. They no longer need a man to provide for the family and is capable of doing it alone. To conclude, the traditional family has become almost a myth. Today’s society is moving towards equal rights in every area of life. However, equality is still not globally accepted as some countries still maintain the outdated traditional roles for men and women.