Paityn Kappesser

April 18, 2017

Professor Kashtan

UWRT 1102

Major Assignment 4

Throughout the 19th and 20th century, the concept of American identity has been

altered according to the societal norms which have either already been or are

continuing to be established. One of the norms that was extremely prominent in the U.S

during that time period is gender roles. Do gender roles really have an impact on the

way we view American identity? By doing research, it seems that Im not the only one

that thinks so. People are judged based on the gender roles they take on and theyre

given labels and expectations that come from the societal norms that revolve around

American identity.

In the 19th century, it was a common thing to hear of women whose only

responsibilities consisted of tending to their children and making sure their house is

clean before the husband comes home from work. This has strongly impacted society to

this day, but especially in the specific time periods mentioned. When you say all

American man, images of white, strong men with 6 pack abs and blue jeans on pop

into most people's heads and when you say all American woman, the image of a

sweet white woman with pearls around her neck and a child or duster in her hand

appears. This is just the way gender roles had affected what society saw to be

American. The structure of society and cultural/historical norms play a big part in
gender roles and vice versa. There are expectations that society has placed on

everyone that demand people to act and feel a certain way when it comes to gender.

Whether its about what they can or cannot wear, what they can or cannot do, or what

they can or cannot say that society will or will not be accepting of.

One aspect of gender roles that has taken a toll on mainly women in America is

the expectation of being a successful mother and housewife. It seems that these are the

two prominent, if not only, roles of a woman of the

19th and 20th century. In this time period, women

were never told that being a housewife was limiting

or degrading, rather it was a very popular thing to

be. The American identity for a woman slowly

looked more and more like this image. Even

though it was very respectable in the early 19th

century, towards the late 20th century people

began to think otherwise.

Women had usually been seen as inferior to men by society, however they also

grabbed the title of being incapable when they took on the sole role of housewife and

mother. Even though there was a sense of progress amongst women when they started

to get jobs, there were mixed feelings from the rest of society about it. Some men felt

threatened therefore wanting nothing to do with women in the workforce, yet others felt

a sense of relief that women finally started doing worthwhile work. Either way, women

still had a sense of doubt from society hovering over them. No one really believed they
could really be capable of much besides housework and childcare, especially

men(Boundless 2016).

Men acquired gender roles from the idea of the American identity as well though.

Men were expected to go to work, do hard labor, then bring home money to provide for

their families(History 120). They had more rights than women and it was said that law

favored men a lot more than women. The jobs for men were seen as jobs that involve

having muscle or jobs that require a lot of brain. Men were viewed as much higher up in

the workforce, which is why their pay is still higher than women even to this day. Being

a man came with many perks and privilege.

However, work isnt the only area gender roles are prominent in. Both genders

felt as though they struggled with occurrences like divorce very differently. Gender roles

attack this area of people's lives because men felt as if they didnt get the type of

attention and care that women did during a time of divorce. Most fathers think that

women have more programs available for them and have a better chance at winning

more custody battles. It has gotten so bad that men are pushing to get more fathers

rights(Crowley). Children were just seen to be reliant on the care of a mother to get

through their younger days of life, therefore being with their mother was priority over

separation from the father.

Its not just with grown adults though, America has placed gender roles on people

since a young age. Right when you come out of the womb, youre given a specified

color, blue or pink, according to your gender. All of the toys you get are based on the

gender roles that coincide with the American identity, girls get Barbies and dress up
clothes while boys get toy trucks and nerf guns. Even in school, when asking kids what

they want to be when they grow up, their answers will vary based on their gender. Boys

will usually say something like professional football player or police officer while girls are

more likely to say teacher or veterinarian. Boys are raised to be tough and have their

emotions under control at all times. Thats why parents say things like, be a man, or

shake it off, to boys whereas girls are tended to and given the most caring attention.

Girls are raised to be focused on wearing the cutest outfits and act passive and sweet.

These ideas of gender roles are instilled into society and even young kids pick up on it.

The explicit gender discrimination led to so much noticeable inequality

throughout all ages and races. The gender roles became norms because they were so

common amongst everyone in America. The way society runs has even evolved in

accordance to these gender specific norms. For example, food marketing is highly

revolved around women and their thinking. Women are seen as the ones who buy the

food and prepare the food so food branding wants to appeal especially to them(Food is

Love 2006). Hardware stores are more aimed towards the man's way of thinking

because primarily, men are the fixers of the home. Usually if something is seen as

wrong with the sink or roof, the man of the house if the one everyone looks to.

Stereotypes have become so profound and relevant to the American identity that

theyre hardly even noticeable. Parents go through life teaching their little girl to be good

at taking care of babies and always make sure to help prepare a meal and clean up

after it. This is setting girls up for a life of tending to the basic needs that boys arent

taught growing up. Women therefore ended up going for jobs where they felt most
qualified, which were hardly any. However, there were jobs that involved sewing

clothing, but mainly the focus was on tending to the children and making sure dinner

was made and the house was clean before her husband got home.

This is seen a lot in shows from the 19th and 20th century. Gender roles were

very common in the sitcom, Leave it to Beaver. This is what everyones idea of the

typical all-American family was. The mother, June Cleaver, was a stay at home mom

whose main focus was keeping her sons, Wally and Theodore, out of trouble.

Meanwhile, father, Ward, was busy at his long days at work however stayed the

decision maker of the family. This show portrays gender roles in every way. Ward was

the breadwinner of the family so he had his white collared job and always left the house

with a briefcase in hand. June was the mom who usually was seen cooking or cleaning,

since Ward was always in charge of disciplining the boys and making sure they were at

their best behavior at all times, or at least the times when he wasnt at work. Wally is a

handsome athlete who is very active in the

community and he makes his younger brother,

Beaver, seem more sensitive because he isnt.

Its shows like this and many other shows that

help progress the gender stereotypes even further.

This is all America has ever known because its the

only way it has ever been. We have become a

society that has a mindset that ways shouldnt

change and that societal norms should stay the same and thats why when something
goes against them, everything seems so corrupt. Each gender had specific mental,

physical, and behavioral expectations that had to be met or society wasnt accepting of

you. This has carried out from the 19th century specifically to now and Im sure it will

continue to be this way because it has been established as a part of the American

identity. As a country, we have created the idea that men must be tough and limit their

emotions and women must be passive and stay in the kitchen. Every day the world

strays a little bit further away from these expectations, however the norm never shifts.

All in all, the American identity has been established and its that men act a

certain way, get a higher pay, and bring home the money for the family and that women

tend to the kids, cook and clean daily, and always look pretty and proper. These gender

stereotypes can evolve as much as they want but there will always be the initial

expectation to compare it to. People will always acquire labels and be demanded to

follow specific guidelines based on their gender, but it is their personal choice whether

they decide to face adversity or not. Gender roles have been played a big part in

forming the American identity through their structure and suggestions throughout

society. Its good to acknowledge the existence of gender roles and consider all

possible options when dealing with deciding to stick to the societal norms or not.