Personal Narrative: My Experience In Middle School

Until middle school, it was typical that I argued with my mother instead of my father as she was the one always home with me and pushing my buttons. However, when I entered middle school something changed. My mother began working part time and it was my father who seemed to push my buttons. Since my mother was adjusting to being busy at work and at home, my father took on more of the parental disciplinary role. This meant that I had to ask him when I wanted to do something. I distinctively remember wanting to join my middle school band and play saxophone to which my father replied, “No, you can’t play saxophone, that’s a boy instrument”. Being the independent and outspoken girl I was, I was furious. It was an instrument, it had no gender. I

Go ahead seven years when I am choosing my college and my major. My father insisted I go into the field of engineering, a predominately male field. While I am good at math, I grew up understanding math as the “male” subject. This probably affected my inclination and love of math, but at the end of the day I do not think my mind is wired towards mathematical reasoning. That is not to say it is due to my gender, just simply who I am. I naturally understand languages better and am more creative than logical. I asked my father why he so adamantly pushed me towards engineering and tried to discourage me from my current major, English and Education. His reasoning was it is “more respectable” and as a “female engineer” I would make more money. This is a direct example of sex segregation in the workforce. Firstly, the respectable jobs were those with a higher proportion of male workers. Secondly, he had to assign a gender to the occupation as though “engineer” assumes a male worker. Thirdly, it is more profitable to enter a male dominated occupation because they are the higher paying