Lamont's Argumentative Analysis

Lamont argued that gendered courtship conventions still persist because women feel that men should be the dominant partner within a relationship. Based on this essentialist belief, women rely on men to initiate a relationship. They feel that if the man was interested in them, they would be the one to ask them out, pay for the first date, and show commitment. Due to the fact that men are supposed to be “dominant” and women are supposed to act “passive”, men’s interest would prevent the women from being rejected. Lamont explained that women choose not to ask out men because not only do they fear rejection, but they fear being called “desperate”. Furthermore, they explained that the women within this study often used first dates as a “test” to see if the man would pay for their dinner. …show more content…
Lamont insisted that gendered courtship conventions persist because women want “to be considered worthy of love and livelong commitment” (Lamont, 201). While both men and women could discuss marriage, the man is the one who needs to propose. Many women, like Ashleigh, never even thought of proposing, as that didn’t develop the “chosen status” they desired. Additionally, Lamont explained that gender expectations influence women to act in certain ways that reinforce gendered norms. This consequence causes women to struggle when trying to find gender equality within gendered courtship conventions. Persisting conventions, also leave women prioritizing men’s needs, while taking on the stereotypical role of housework and child care. While most women want to equally share child care and housework, gendered courtship conventions are persisting because the stereotypical beliefs about men and women reinforce the idea that women need to be