Gender roles affect how men and women are seen and contributes to the inequality of women. If men were not constantly seen as the “breadwinners” or “protectors,” women would not have to do things like fight for equal pay. If women were not forced into submissive roles, and jobs such as nursing (viewed as a common submissive role by stereotypes (How Nurses are portrayed in film)), it would be possible for men to hold such jobs and roles that are catered to women, without the backlash that accompanies such decisions. The fact that we are currently going through a time, where women finally feel safe speaking against sexual assault and harassment (Time’s Up Movement), shows that there was a dramatic problem in the system before; one that can be …show more content…
A simple way of putting is this; imagine if you were a robber. You robbed someone, and now you’re going to go to jail. Now if you think about that in the context of gender roles, one can see that if you believe gender roles do not negatively affect others, it would not only negatively affect others but affect your life as well. To those who believe gender roles do not inhibit the development of men and women, I ask you this: How do gender roles help you? You may believe you want your children to be raised in the right way, but I would argue that when you force gender roles on your kid, it causes them to grow up in the wrong way. Today, people still use offensive terms such as “f*ggot” in their everyday lives, but what exactly is wrong with being gay? Does it make you weak? Well, it, in fact, does not, but toxic masculinity makes it seem like it’s okay to say such words, when really it is negatively affecting other people. Similarly, “b*tch” is used when a woman might stand up for herself, which betrays the typical female gender role. The robber example works because it shows that by enforcing gender roles, you are not only affected, but other people are affected, and you are, per se, taking something away from them. In conclusion, you should understand this: gender roles may benefit you as a man, but equality