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Gender Roles: What is (wo)manhood?

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Everyday, we are bombarded with different images that illustrate gender inequality- whether it is through popular TV shows like, Sex and the City, or sports coverage, which rarely focus as much on women’s sports.  Why has society established these specific gender roles for each of us to fulfill?  Men have to bring home the bacon and be fearless, but who cares if my man screams when he sees a spider?  Women are expected to cook the meals, run the household and clean.  But, what if all I want to do on a Saturday night is get crazy with my MAC makeup, dress up in my stiletto heels, slip on my scandalous cocktail dress for a night out?  Do I have to worry that I will get strange stares because I am not fulfilling my societal duty as a grown woman?


Even those women who choose to pursue a career are viewed as if they aren’t fulfilling their life duty and vice versa! Let’s be real, there are definitely proven differences between men and women.  There’s the physical: child bearing, and the mental: social IQ.  However, why do these “differences” dictate what roles we play? What does (wo)manhood mean?

It’s time to explore the cause of gender inequality: both in Iran and the U.S., women’s compensation for the same job as a man is lower.  Aside from sexism, some argue that this results from having to account for additional costs like, maternity leave, sexual harassment lawsuits, etc.  What is YOUR opinion on employment equality?

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8 comments

  1. kimya Says:
    June 23, 2011 at 12:07am e
    In regards to your next topic (Admin jan ye lotfi kon in comment ro ham mesle un yeki part kon un var)

    Mard o zan az nazare physiki aslan ba ham mosavi neestand. Man nemidoonam kasi inja mosabegheye tennis negah mikoneh ya nah? A good illustration of this can be seen in a professional tennis match. In professional tennis, Men play best of 5 set matches whereas women only play best of 3. Biology unfortunately makes women physically inferior to men.

    vali khanoom ha aslan narahat nakonan khodeshoono sare in mozoo chon ma az nazare aghli kheyli az mardha jelo tarim. nemidoonam hichvaght deghat kardin ya nah vali man fekr mikonam dokhtar haee keh nasle dovom hastan va inja bozorg shodan behtar az pesara mitoonan farsi harf bezanan. Dokhtara ghodrate yadgirishoon tooye zaban va vocabulary bishtar az pesarast. Aghleshoon yeh jooraee behtar az pesara kar mikoneh!

    Amma dar morede naghshe mard o zan tooye khanevadeh: man ham mesle omid fekr mikonam keh harchi mard o zan tooye khonevadeh mosavitar basheh masooliateshoon behtare, chon khonevadeh ro ghavitar mikoneh. Mardha bayad naghshe bishtari tooye bachedari o khonevadeh dashteh bashan chon yek bacheh niaz beh har doe pedar madar dareh. kheyliha in tasavoro daran keh mardha aslan nemitoonan kari too khooneh bekonan dar soorati keh in dorost neest. Yeki az marooftarin ashpaz haye donya mard boodan. va man fekr mikonam zanha ham ye meghdar bayad bishtar betoonan roo sare pah khodeshoon vaysan va independent bashan chon adam hichvaght az ayandeh khabari nadareh va shayad majboor shodi bacheh ro tanha bozorg koni.

    Iman Jan, yek kalameye farsi barat daram keh kheyli beh in mozoo bi rabt neest, agar doost dashti tooye barnameh estefadeh kon va manish ro baraye bacheha tozih bedeh: Harfe MARD yekie!!! !

    Ya shayad “zan zalil” ham kalameye khoobi basheh baraye in barnameh!

  2. (Moved by Admin)
    Negin Says:
    June 24, 2011 at 4:09pm e
    مسئله اینه که فمینیست های زن سهم خودشون در رستوران رو پرداخت می کنن و به عبارت لیدیز فیرست اعتقادی ندارن. امتیازهای نمادین و بیهوده ای مثل اول از در وارد شدن برای زنان فقط بهانه می شن برای این که جاهای مهم تر عقب نگه داشته بشن و بهشون حق جلو رفتن داده نشه. خصوصیات بیولوژیک افراد براشون شایستگی نمیاره، میاره؟
    درود بر شما که گفتین نمیاره

    Negin Says:
    June 24, 2011 at 4:11pm e
    لیدیز فیرست چی بود من نوشتم تو کامنت قبل؟! فِرست منظورم بود طبعا

  3. ye chiz dar morede in “ladies first” man mikhastam begam chon negin tooye commente ghabli behesh ye esharehi kard. A lot of times it’s just our way of being polite and courteous. Kheyli az zan ha hastan keh daro baraye zanhaye digeh baz mikonan va kheyli az mardha hastan keh beh mardhaye digeh tarof mikonan keh aval az dar vared beshan, in ye no tarofe beine adamha.

    Amma tooye situation haye emergency faghat “ladies first” nemigan. Migan “women, children and elderly or those with disabilities…” Va dalilesham bishtar bekhatere “physical capabilities” hast. Yek bacheh shayad natoone tooye yek emergency situation az khodesh mesle yek adame bozorg defa koneh chon koochiktare va un tavanaee physiki ro nadareh. Adamhaye mosen va kasani keh disability daran ham hamintor.

    Regarding employment inequality though: I would say the biggest cause of this is money. The cost of employing a woman is more. Women are also not as equal as men in colleges and universities here in the US. Rarely do you see women in science/engineering classes. It is such a rarity that you even have “women in engineering” organizations on most college campuses here. In other countries this is not the case and it has sparked debate as to why women are such a rarity to these majors here in the US but not so much in other less developed countries (like Iran).

  4. LOL Girlz are the inferior species. But its good to have them around for self confidence boost :)) and well for other purposes :D.

  5. I am pretty sure that women are more powerful than men. they have so many organizations to get their right from men but men don’t have such organization. They make lo1ts of hidden rights during 200 years ago and they know how to effect on men and use their power everywhere.

  6. Hey Kimya,
    Yes, I watch tennis and Wimbledon finals this year were amazing :)…Let’s hope for a better US open and a better Federer :) !.
    I agree with your first and last points regarding the slight physical superiority of men and that men and women should equally participate in the family matters. What I don’t quite agree with is your second point; I think you took it to the extreme by saying “vali khanoom ha aslan narahat nakonan khodeshoono sare in mozoo chon ma az nazare aghli kheyli az mardha jelo tarim”. This is the same fallacy, held by men over the past 200 years, that took us to where we are now. This just shows that even women (mentally superior species as you mentioned) would have discriminated against men if they had a chance. This perception, unfortunately held by many ladies, neither solves nor alleviates the issues regarding gender roles and inequality. After all, this is why I criticize Tahmine Milani’s recent works for her extreme views. Let’s all not have extreme views, men or women.
    Amir,