Gender-assigned tasks in the home, work force, and society can both belittle a gender as well as empower it. In some circumstances, certain jobs that are emphasized as belonging to one gender in particular can fit well, in other circumstances it can limit a gender’s potential. Cultural contradiction in this area is also incredibly unfortunate in terms of the range and scope of one gender’s skill set.
In some cultures, house work is concentrated among the women, in others it is distributed evenly. In others still, women don’t have the ability to get jobs, pursue careers, etc. Personally, I am very grateful to have grown up in a home in which I was afforded a more progressive, empowering outlook. The most effective aspect of role division for myself growing up was my family’s main provider. When classmates asked me what my dad did for work, I answered, “my dad’s a stay-at-home dad and my mom sells insurance.”
My father decided to raise me while letting my mother pursue her career, which she is incredibly good at. Because my parents chose this non-traditional (though becoming less out-of-the-norm) styled household, I was instilled with values that I took for granted for many years before I really needed to think about it. I have never had to endure the perspective that I am less important to the work force and to society because I am a woman. In my home growing up, a woman payed for the groceries and payed the bills and filled out the taxes. I also never saw my father as lazy or any derivative of the term. I grew up surrounded by a positive male influence who demonstrated to me the kind of support that a spouse should bring to a household in the case that they are not the main provider.
I plan to work toward a successful career. I also plan to be dedicated to a family I love someday. Because of my upbringing, I know that both the path to be the provider in the family as well as the primary caretaker will be rewarding and significant.
I chose to write this artifact about my particular situation growing up, and how my mother’s career inspired me, and I didn’t even know I was being inspired. My father’s dedication to our family also instilled important values that I took for granted for a long time.