Question

1) What role do adults play in teaching children gender-appropriate behavior?

2) Doing housework is sometimes referred to as the "second shift."   This is because in many instances, working women are saddled with two jobs, even though they only get paid for one. Read the following piece about the “Second Shift” http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2015/02/the-second-shift-and-workplace-policies.html

3) How about for you? Do the women in your family end up doing all or most of the housework? Is this fair? Is housework a meaningful work activity? Is it something people enjoy doing? Do you or anyone that you know work a second shift inside the home after putting in a 40 hour work week? Explain how the second shift can be a social problem for women today.

Answer 1

Our society has long since allotted gender roles in all aspects such as family, society, education, military etc. The dress they wear, the color they choose, the toys they pick and the work that they do at home are defined and reinforced by the adults in the house and society. Certain characteristics such as, modesty, bravery, obedience etc. are gender related. Parents, teachers and relatives all insist on children doing their gender related things.

As society progressed, women started working and they had to manage both work and family, especially women with infants. Most of the countries, the domestic works that women do are not taken into account. If we calculate the amount that is paid to domestic works to a servant, it’s close to the national average monthly salary. So, most of the women do not get paid for those jobs that they do at home which is not right. This unpaid second shift causes lots of physical and psychological stress in women.

In my family too, people work double shifts, their regular job and at home. I think it’s time men share the household work with women because they financially support men in running the family which was not the case earlier. Men used to work and provide for the family while women looked after the family but with the social development, women started working almost in all the fields. Although it’s a social problem for women today, it could be solved by sharing the tasks by the other members of the family.