In today 's world, gender roles are being shattered on a daily basis. Women are supporting their families, becoming involved in STEM field, and proving themselves to be more than just their gender. Similarly, men are becoming stay at home dads, participating in household activities like cooking, and also proving themselves to me more than just their gender. Respect for either gender is growing day by day; however, this isn’t always the case and hasn’t always been the case. As seen in the play Fences written in 1985 by August Wilson and in the painting American Gothic created by Grant Wood in 1930, Gender makes people act in demeaning or conforming ways simply because of it’s implied societal meanings.
Grant Wood’s picture American Gothic clearly captures the gender roles of our society through the subtle messages hidden within it. In the painting, you can see two people, a man and a woman, standing in front of their house. Standing slightly behind the man wearing overalls and holding a pitchfork, the woman stands with her blonde hair in an updo and her glance in his direction. By having the man hold a pitchfork in the painting one can conclude that men are the laborers of a household. They are the ones that bring in the money, do rigorous work both in and outside of their house in order to provide for their families and themselves. Behind the man, the placement of the woman depicts where she is seen socially. Because she is female, she is seen as lesser to males; she must