Have times changed?

      Even though times have changed and technology has advanced, gender roles seem to stay in tact. The normative gender roles that we see today are not identical to those in the past but are what I like to call a diluted version of what they once were. To demonstrate what I mean by this and to explain how I came to this conclusion, I will describe my excursion project on my friends and family. I will give you insight to how they think and the behaviors they engage in that fit the traditional gender roles from the past.

      I begin by describing the females and their lives. Suzy is 36 and is currently employed as a Branch Manage trainee at a bank which, for privacy reasons, I will not disclose the name. She is making roughly 65 thousand a year and has the responsibility of learning all there is to managing a branch. She is often looked at differently for being a female and at times isn't taken seriously by other employees. She  lives alone but occasionally has her significant other sleep over her home. Her chores are completely done by her and all bills are paid by her. She has no financial support from anybody. She isn't close to her family so she delves into her social life. She has become fascinated with health and fitness, so most of her days consist of a trip to the gym. On the other hand Ana is 24 and works as a personal banker at a bank. She makes about 35 thousand and feels that she is overworked in the workplace. She finds herself doing things that aren't her responsibility but feels obligated because she wants to be seen as a great employee. She lives at home with her parents and a brother. She finds that she has to do laundry, cook , clean, whole excelling in school and work. Her brother, who is older by the way, gets to stay home. He has no job, and no desire for one. He is not asked to contribute to any of the household chores that need to be completed, and yet is held in higher regard in the home than Ana. She has a great social life and loves to go out. Sometimes she goes out to take a break from the life she lives at home. All her financial needs are met by her with out the help of her parents, other than the roof they provide over her head. 

      For my friends and family excursion I chose to interview fellow co workers and friends, to see how they live their lives and see how many differences are apparent between the males and the females. I also chose different age ranges so their could be a variation in the sample. The sample consists of two females and two males. The females I have coded with the name Suzy and Ana. The males I have coded with the name of John and David.

       John is 40 and lives with his girlfriend. He is a Branch Manager and makes 75 thousand.At the job he feels that he is in control. He feels that he is respected by others and that even so, he is carrying all the weight on his shoulders. He feels it is a selfless job where he is not the one to benefit but all the rest. All the household chores are done by his girlfriend but he says he occasionally helps out with the cleaning. He is protective of her so he makes sure he knows where she is at all times.He is also a financial planner, so he manages not only his money but his girlfriends money as well. He makes sure he know where money is going and for what it is being spent on. Similarly David is the same way. He is a 25 year old personal banker, who makes about 40 thousand a year. He feels he job is good but not for the long run. He wants to open a business of his own someday but until then he will stay there.He lives with his girlfriend as well and they share an account that he controls. They have plans of buying property in the future so he makes sure that he knows where every dollar goes. The household chores are done by his girlfriend and he just makes sure that they don't need anything at home. For example he buys the food but she cooks it. He takes her to work and picks her up from school. He doesn't really let her go out without his consent in a way. These are the ways he feels he contributes to the relationship. 

          In comparing these, I saw that John and Suzy held equivalent positions but yet there pay differed by 10 thousand, with Suzy having the lower pay. When it came to Ana and David, their pay differed by about 5 thousand dollars a year, with Ana having the lower amount. Common theme or not, the females are getting paid less for the same exact positions as males in the field. The females were similar when I came to household duties and their experience in the workplace. Both males seemed in control of the finances for their female partners. They are very controlling of their girlfriends, even of their money. The males also seem to do minimal household chores, which include things like cooling, cleaning and laundry. Both males, , seem to be concerned primarily with providing, and acquiring wealth. So even though these men came from different ethnic backgrounds, beliefs, experiences yet they act the same.  Can this be a coincidence or not, or are these the years of gender roles and social norms being passed on generation to generation. Are we really so different from the way we all were in the past. Today we have a modern version of the gender roles but the root goes back to the past. There is an obvious difference between the males and females at work at home and how hey are viewed in society. Things haven't changed as much as we might have wanted but women are continuing to strive against these stereotypes engraved in society.