Men & Women; Battle of the Sexes

Gender equality is a historical problem that saw huge advancements in the 21st century.
Although complete gender equality has yet to be achieved, there are places in the world
where that is almost the case. In other regions of the world, most notably in the Middle
East, there are obstacles which prevent gender equality from coming to fruition. What is
the state of gender equality in Russia?

Traditionally, in male-female relationships, the man is the one who makes the 'first move'
and subsequently (later on), is seen as the head of the traditional family unit. This is not
always the case. Especially in modern times, the regularity of females making the first
move has increased. Who do you think should make the first move and why? Who should
be the 'head' of the family?

Everyone looks for something different in a significant other, but in most cases, the male
looks for the female to play a submissive or subordinate role in the relationship. Why is
this, and what are your views/experiences with this in previous relationships?

The customary role of women in a family is that of a caregiver. Although this has
changed in recent decades, women more often than not are expected to cook, clean, and
care for the children, while the man is expected to put work in order to house, clothe, and
feed the family. With the rise of the 'working mom' and the 'single mom' this traditional role
has been diminished. What factors play a role in this stereotype?

Some relationships are unhealthy, either physically or emotionally. Despite this, such
couples often “stick it out” and continue dating regardless of the consequences. This
type of relationship has come to be known as a toxic relationship. What kinds of 'toxic
relationships' have you seen amongst your friends, or heard about?

What do you look for in a partner/spouse? What do you expect from them? What sacrifices
do you think should be made for your partner? What is your biggest complaint/frustration
about the opposite sex? You believe that sexism, or reverse sexism plays a bigger role in
the world today?

Gender = The fact of being either male or female; Synonym = Sex. [This job is open to all applicants
regardless of age, race, or gender.]

Obstacle = (NOUN) 1: A difficulty or problem that prevents you from achieving something; barrier.2: An
object that you must remove or go around in order to move forward.[I have passed 4 out of my 5
exams......the last obstacle left that is preventing me from getting my diploma is the Algebra exam!]

Fruition = The result that is desirable; the result one wants to achieve from a plan or idea. [Peace between
Palestinians and Israelis may never come to fruition since there are so many demands by both sides.]
Spectrum = A whole range of ideas, qualities, situations, etc. that are possible in any given topic. [His crazy
ideas run the spectrum of employment possibilities one day he dreams of becoming an astronaut, and the
next day he wants to become a farmer.]

Submissive = Willing to do what other people tell you to do without arguing. [Despite the unreasonableness
of his demands, Charlie's wife submissively carried out his instructions without retort.]

Subordinate = Having less power or authority than someone else. [I have been working at Lenta for 3 years,
so I received a promotion. Maria has only been working here for 1 year, so she is subordinate to me.]

MALE-FEMALE RELATIONSHIP SITUATIONS

Discuss the following situations outlines by columnist Sheila Moss and describe
any similar events from your past relationships:

It takes a woman forever to get ready to go someplace. A man can get ready in ten
minutes. When she is finally ready, she wants to be complimented on how she looks. If a
man says the woman looks nice, she accuses him of being up to something. If he does not
say that she looks nice, she accuses him of being insensitive. Thats why men don’t give
compliments. They are trying to stay out of trouble.

The truth about women is they can’t be pleased. They spend their whole lives waiting for
a man to do something wrong just so they can say, "I told you so." Women never shut up.
They are born to nag. They like to nag so much, they even find fault with men when they
are asleep. They claim that men snore. The truth is that no man has ever heard himself
snoring.

And when a woman isn’t nagging, she is complaining. Something is always hurting. She
has a migraine, her feet hurt, or her back bothers her. Women always want to go to
doctors. Men don’t like to go to doctors. A man will wait until he is nearly dead before
admitting pain.

Women don’t appreciate men or how hard they work, even though they are working
mostly to support women. Women nag men to do petty chores like taking out the trash,
things demeaning to a man’s dignity. Women try to expel them from their home and
castle by making them do outside jobs like cutting the grass. If it was up to a man, he
could get by with a mattress and a microwave.

Men actually watch sports on TV just as an excuse to drink beer. Why is it that men drink
so much beer? Do they really think that beer bellies look cool? If beer did not exist, men
would go thirsty. Who invented beer anyhow? It must have been a man. No woman would
invent a high calorie beverage without cream and sugar.

Men always accuse women of nagging them about watching sports, but the reason women
nag is because they could never get anything done otherwise. Men really should come
with consumer warning labels. They have thousands of dollars worth of power tools and
wrenches but still can’t change a washer for a drippy faucet. Of course, that is because
they never have the right two-bit washer.
Along with their other problems, men have a hard time picking out their own clothes. They
find several outfits that match and then wear them over and over. If the green shirt is dirty,
they can’t think of anything else that goes with the green pants. While women have shoes
for every outfit, men are so boring they only need two pairs: black and brown. If the black
shoes have to go in for repair, the man can only wear half of his clothes. Men are unable
to go shopping alone also. After 20 years, a man still doesn’t know the length of his own
inseam. It must be psychological denial.

CONVERSATIONS

Jason: Aaliyah, can you please just shut your mouth for a few minutes? All you do is nag!

Aaliyah: Oh, well I'm sorry Jason.....when we started dating, I thought I was going out with a man, not a
mouse!

Jason: Great – here we go......what are you talking about now?

Aaliyah: I'm talking about how I am the only one who ever does the dishes or vacuums!

Jason: Don't forget that I'm the bread winner here, Aaliyah.

Aaliyah: Oh, sure....you really bring home the bacon – I guess that's why you haven't taken me out to
dinner in over a month, and why we haven't traveled anywhere in over a year!

Jason: Aaliyah, if it wasn't for me, you'd be on welfare, so be quiet and go bake me a cake!

Andy: Hey Bob, what's new? Where are you off to?

Bob: Oh, not much. I'm going to the store to pick up some things for my girlfriend.

Andy: Oh, you are still dating Jen? What are you picking up for her?

Bob: Oh, just some feminine hygiene products.

Andy:What?!?! She is making you pick up her personal things now? You are whipped !

Bob: Oh c'mon, Andy.......you know, I'm just helping her out.

Andy:No, helping her out is going to the store so that you can buy some steaks and she can cook them for
you when you get home! You need to be a man and stand up to her!

Bob: Andy, I don't think you need to be giving me relationship advice. When was the last time you even went
on a date?!?

To nag = 1: To annoy someone by frequently criticizing them or telling them to do something. [John's mother
always has to nag him in order for him to take out the trash.] 2: If a doubt, worry, or fear nags you, you
cannot stop thinking about it. [I can't believe that I forgot her name!! It's really nagging me!]

To do the dishes = To clean the dishes.

Bread winner = The person (in a relationship) who earns money and therefore provides his/her spouse
and/or kids with food and shelter. [Although John and Cindy both work, John is the bread winner, since he
makes twice as much money as Cindy does.]

To bring home the bacon = Idiom meaning “to make a lot of money and provide for one's family

Where are you off to? = Where are you headed? = Where are you going to right now?

To be whipped = To be strictly controlled by someone else in every detail of one's life. (Negative
Connotation) [Are you telling me that you do everything that your wife tells you to do? You are whipped, my
friend!]

To stand up to (someone) = To not let someone push you around or tell you what to do; To speak your
mind and not allow yourself to be controlled by someone else. [For the first 2 months of school, Jerry was
being picked on by another kid at his school.Then, he finally stood up to the bully and the rest of the school
year was much more enjoyable.]

Just Speak!