Now & Then

For this assignment, I interviewed my parents about their roles when they were 20. According to my mom, when she was 20, she was expected to help around the house, find a husband, start a family, and find a job. She also mentioned that women were expected to act conservatively, be very lady-like, and once married, were supposed to be the caretaker of the family at home, watch the children, and make sure there was a meal on the table. It was frowned upon women to cuss, dress too revealing, drink, smoke, and engage in premarital sex. As for my dad, he said when he was 20, his main goal was also to find a job that was successful enough to support his family. Since my dad had a lot of siblings growing up and was one of the older ones, he was also expected to help look out for his younger siblings and set an example for them. It was much more acceptable for men to smoke, drink, etc. When I asked about expectations regarding education, both said it was not expected that they went to college, but instead go straight to finding a job.

It was a bit harder trying to find someone to interview who is 40 years older. However, I managed to hunt down two of the staff members that I work with. When Mary was 20, she said it was expected that women were married by then and were starting their own families. They were expected to stay at home, clean, cook, take care of the kids and cater to their husbands. Inappropriate behavior for women included being "rebellious", which meant they were expected to be obedient of their husbands or parents, and did not have much say. Women were expected to keep their opinions to themselves if it was not what the husband or father wanted. As for Terry, when he was 20, men were expected to be ambitious and successful in starting their careers, be gentlemen, be the breadwinners, and extend their family lineage. Inappropriate behavior for men included being lazy and rude.

Today, society's expectations as far as gender roles have changed drastically. Before, it seemed like men were much more driven and respectful. Nowadays, they have become lazier and arrogant. As for women, their roles have become much more assertive, respected, and have much more freedom in terms of voicing their opinions and being allowed to engage in riskier behavior. In addition, I noticed that men and women today are getting married at a later age and most want to get their careers settled before starting a family and are expected to go to college. All in all, society's expectations are continuously shifting.