Switching Roles

Question:
To get a sense of the significance of gender roles, please respond to the following question.
Would you be a similar person if you were the other gender? Would your plans be
different? What about your activities, feelings, and goals? (If you run out of ideas to fill the
page, try this. What kind (style) of clothes would you wear if you were the other gender?
Why is it acceptable for females to act masculine, but not for males to act feminine?

Response:
This topic question was intriguing to me, I have a younger sister who is thinking that
she is a “he” right now and dealing with all of that. So do I think I would be any different as
a male? Honestly, I don’t think I would be much different. Possibly more outspoken and
obnoxious. But I feel I would be very similar to how I am now. I don’t sugar coat things and
I rarely care what others think of me. Also, I’m going into a very male dominated career
field, criminal justice. My physical abilities could be different based on different body
structure and such. My career plans and life plans wouldn’t differ from where they are
headed now if I was a guy. I already dress really relaxed and comfy, so I think I would live in
sweats and tennis shoes more often than my current shorts and flip-flops look. I have
always loved a guy in a well tailored suit, so maybe I would be dressing more like Barney
Stintson from How I Met Your Mother, always looking dapper in a full suit and tie, possibly.
The only thing I think that would’ve changed if I was a male instead of female, is that
I don’t think I would’ve ever settled down and gotten married so young (20). According to
the text, “Around half of men and women over 25 who have ever been divorced are
currently remarried” (Strong & Cohen, 2017, p.77). That is shocking to me because I’m
currently 25 and not remarried and do not see that in my near future. However that would
also mean my son would’ve been born outside of marriage and would’ve likely been a nasty
battle to get the custody I currently have.
The emotional discord between what i’ve been allowed as a woman and what is
expected by males, would be enough to drive anyone crazy. My emotions would’ve been
taught to keep them suppressed more than I was taught as a woman. As a woman we are
“allowed” to cry and be vulnerable but if I were male, that would’ve been a very different
lesson. I consider myself very passionate and emotional but also logical and thoughtful.
That being said, to be a male and what I know by seeing my brother be raise and raising my
son, I would lose two of those four main things about me. So when I look at it from the
emotional aspect of the expectations of males vs females, I would have to be very different
in how I dealt with or expressed my emotions.
Now I’m not sure why its okay for females to be masculine but not the
reverse. I was raised by a single mother so I have never understood that aspect of our
culture. I think it should be totally acceptable for both genders to be both masculine and
femine at the same time. I think guys should cry and show emotions when they want to and
women should be blunt and outspoken when they want to.
Works cited:
Strong, B., & Cohen, T.F. (2017). The marriage and family experience: Intimate
relationships in a changing society (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.