Gender Roles: The Privileges Of Women

Before I thought that gender just used to separate people by calling them female or male, but now I have come to realize that anatomy is not the only thing separates us from each other. Gender is a social category that separates men from women and, just like any other social category, it gives out advantages and disadvantages towards a certain gender such as more access to education or making it more difficult for you to get the resources that you need. Gender is an important social category, because gender roles play a significant factor in everyday life and also the privileges that one or the other gender may be impacted by is important. Gender roles have been ingrained in people since they came out the womb, whether their parents gave …show more content…
One privilege is the pay gap which is the difference in the way that men and women are paid. An example of the pay gap is that white women make seventy-eight cents to one dollar of white males, and to make it even more disadvantageous African American, Hispanic, and Native American women had an even more unfortunate pay. These are one of many privileges that men have over women, and the worst part is that men do not realize that they have these privileges. In Privilege, Oppressions, and Difference they said “men can generally assume that when they go out in public, they won’t be sexually harassed or assaulted just because they’re male, and if they were victimized, they won’t be asked to explain what they were doing there.”(Johnson, Pg. 28) This illustrates how women always have to be cautious when they walk around, while men walk around with the privilege of not having to be afraid while strolling. This is also important because, this is a prime example of unearned citizenship. Just based on their social category, women do not have access to the privilege of feeling safe while they walk around. It also works both ways though, for example, women are allowed to cry without any suspicion while if men cry they are ridiculed for it. Even if the two gender’s anatomies were the same, there will still be need for the social category because of all privileges that each …show more content…
Gender might be one of the most vital categories, because the gender that you affiliate with affects your life immensely. It is sad that a characteristic that you were born with, could impact your life so tremendously for the worse or the better. Women have it the worst out of the two with them having to experience the pay gap, and their parents are extra strict on them. Whether you are a woman or man, privilege controls are life and it is our duty to make the most out if