Gender Roles

Paper Summary:

This paper begins by briefly summarizing the main point made in Carol Gilligan's book, "In A Different Voice", that men and women are indeed different in the way they think, act, perceive themselves and others, live, work and love. Next, the author of the paper, based on the position presented in Gilligan's book, goes on to discuss how gender roles have influenced aspects of her own life and why she believes that influence has been positive.

From the Paper:

"Relying as heavily as I do on relationships-I have a large, loving network of friends, lovers, coworkers, it is ironic that I really don't have much connection with family in the traditional sense. All that's left of my immediate family is a stepfather in Florida who raised me from the ages of five to fourteen and from whom I receive a Sear's gift certificate from every Christmas and to whom I make obligatory calls on holidays; a younger half-brother, who goes to school in Michigan-he's a good person, we just don't have much in common; and an even younger half-sister living with two children and an abusive boyfriend on the dole somewhere in Ohio, or so I last heard. I never have wished for and don't believe I ever will get married. I probably could love one person for an entire lifetime but the concept of marriage seems to me contrary to human nature, an impediment to our life purpose. Marriage seems like the end of something rather than a beginning. And the thought of having a child is horrifying to me. I have been told, usually by women, that to not want to have children is selfish. To be called selfish, for whatever reason, is the absolute worst, most hurtful thing to my ego."

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