Blog #2

Sex segregation continues to exist because the number of females employed in the non-traditional female positions is widely disproportionate. For example, when we think of architects, engineers, pilots, scientists, and the like the first mental picture is that of a white middle-aged male. The question is WHY? Why are we as women staying away from this fields that are concentrated in math and science? That could easily be explained by the stereotypical images that we see over and over again through the media and the repeated message suddenly become reality because we see a trend of absent women in male dominated professions. ASU is an affirmative action employer thus they claim to not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, etc., however in a survey conducted in 2006 by the Commission of the Status for Women and Faculty Women’s Association they found that male professors were more satisfied than female professors. Furthermore, women reported having less mentoring and less opportunities for promotion. One category where they reported more of than men was having experienced inappropriate behavior towards them. Although this is difficult to digest, as women we continue to be regarded as less capable because the gender roles that we repeatedly see embedded in our culture reinforce the notion that women are more nurturing and therefore we are best suited for jobs in elementary school teaching, social work, nursing, and of course homemaking and caretaking.
As a mother I do regard myself as a phenomenal caretaker but I also know that I perform at my job very well. In the home where I grew up, my mother did not work but I do in my home because in order to maintain a certain lifestyle, two incomes facilitate that more so than one. In addition, in the work place I feel that I am autonomous, intelligent and capable of achieving my professional goals so that I am satisfied.
In reference to patriarchy, I respect my husband for being the lead bread winner of the household. He takes on the most difficult tasks at home and in addition helps me with the more “feminine” chores. He helps me with laundry, dishes, and our children. He is the absolute opposite of my father and his. My father never changed one of his children’s diapers, fed us a bottle, much less care for us on his own. My husband cares for our children while I am at work if he is off and in the evening while I’m either in class or doing homework. Because we are Christian, the bible does say the man’s position is that of the head of the household but we are also a team and therefore we make our decisions together. In cases, where the father is absent, of course it is necessary for the mother to take on that role.
As a result of the downfall of the economy we have seen more women take on the role of being the main provider of the household. According to the radio report, mothers have had to become the main breadwinners and even take on a second job to support the family because the male dominated fields suffered the largest number of layoffs. Jobs in constructions, finance, and the like left many more men than women without a job.
Ultimately, I blame the media for feeding these images to us and ourselves for buying into them. Until we change the way we think of ourselves and our roles in society, the images in the media will continue to reflect how we currently think and feel.