The double standard within masculinity and femininity has been deeply rooted since the early, ancient civilizations. This issue also has much to do with gender roles established by society for generations. However, how would you define a double standard? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a double standard is defined as “a set of principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to one group of people or circumstances than to another” (Merriam-Webster). In this particular case, the groups of people would be men and women. Both groups of people have a set of expectations that society expects them to follow. Anything out of the ordinary would be deemed abnormal and unacceptable depending on the circumstance. Some examples of double standards for women are wage gaps and dress codes. Some examples of double standards for men would include gendered professions (i.e. nursing) and showing emotion (i.e. crying). Women could have the same work or leadership position, but still would be paid unequally to their male counterparts. This issue could be due to a magnitude of factors such as “occupational segregation, bias against working mothers, and direct pay discrimination” (Vagins 2022). Moreover, the issue of dress code refers to women choosing clothing items that are considered provocative. This is gray area because provocative could mean different things to different people and companies. Either way, women still have to abide by those standards to avoid unwanted attention and maintain professionalism. Moreover, men also face double standards as they are taught to show little to no emotion. The act of crying in front of others seems as weak and unstable, as women are more emotional beings. They are also faced with discrimination in woman-dominated fields such as nursing, by not being taken as seriously as their woman counterparts. Double standards are displayed on both ends of the spectrum and have developed into other concepts as time progresses.
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