As the definition of marriage and family structures have
continually involved o changed throughout the years, in the same token gender
roles and practices are also changing accordingly. The roles and practices that
were not accepted before are now embraced and adopted in most households. Some may
say that the decline in the socio-economic structures of most countries around the
world have forced most women to join the work force and take on roles that were
traditionally restricted to men, while others will pin point the influence of
mass media for the ever changing role of men and women in the society.
Even at the turn of the 21st century men still
played a more dominant role in the household, with most women staying at home
to take care chores around the house and kids while the men are responsible for
bringing home the bacon. Nowadays, especially in western countries, men and
women have equivalent if not reversed roles at home. With both husband and wife
working to make ends meet or if the wife has a better paying position at work,
the husband is forced to stay at home to watch over kids.
The male gender has always taken a more prominent
placement in the society; this is true not only at home but also in corporate,
financial, legal and political world as well, however, nowadays you will see
that more and more women are breaking through the glass ceiling and taking on
more powerful and significant functions in these different aspects of the
society. Where education and voting rights were exclusive to men; in this day
and age even politicians like Obama have fight tooth and nail to win and coax women
voters to support his candidacy by stressing on women rights issues during his
campaign.
Although women have come a long way in the fight for
their right to equality. There are still a lot of countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan
that are trying hard to suppress the evolution of women in the socio-economic
spectrum. And even the more developed countries like United States have yet to
elect a woman into the presidential office. While others will argue that the
modification of the gender roles are the cause of many relationship and
marriages in this day age.
Steadily but surely though women have come a long way in trying to alter the way the world
views then while once upon a time, men considered themselves to be the stronger
sex gender, women are slowly tying to prove them wrong in this regard by taking
on responsibilities that were once exclusive and available only to men.