I’ve grown up in a fairly equal family. I never saw my parents assign each other to specific jobs based on their gender. I never saw inequality in my household nor in my extended family; it was always equal. However, as I developed my own personal relationships I began to experience gender inequality. Looking back on these past four years of high school, I can easily tell you that I have grown so much as a person. I lost myself, found myself, and learned to love myself. More importantly, I learned about gender roles and demolished them. I wish I could tell you that it has been easy, but really it hasn’t. I have faced so many challenges along the way that caused me to question if all the pain was going to be worth it. For a long time, I didn’t think that the pain was worth it. I thought that if I just avoided the issues that life would just go on and I would be fine. However, the more I did this, the more I realized that I …show more content…
However, here’s my disclaimer: they are also acutely shattering. A lot of the people I have come across who are still in the dark either do not understand that gender roles don’t have to exist, or they truly believe in gender roles. My friends that despite gender roles don’t understand these people 's beliefs; however I do. Not too long ago, I was living with a very similar opinion. I thought that the roles within my relationship were correct. I believed there was nothing wrong with it.
I could spit out a huge essay about how much of a waste my relationship with my ex boyfriend was. I could lecture how irrelevant boys are and that women should forever be independent. There are so many directions I could run with the topic of gender roles. However, this is the one I’ve chosen. Over the past couple years, I have truly discovered my role as woman: whatever I decide it to be. Similarly, I have discovered what true gender roles are: whatever a couple decides them to