Gender roles are socially constructed by society as they assigned roles to both men and women. Men are supposed to support the household and make decisions that are most beneficial to their families. Women are expected to raise the kids and upkeep the household provided by the men. Though times have changed, there are still key qualities of these gender roles that are expected from both genders. According to Maricopa Community College, “Gender roles refer to the role or behaviors learned by a person as appropriate to their gender and are determined by the dominant cultural norms. Cross-cultural studies reveal that children are aware of gender roles by age two or three and can label others’ gender and sort objects into gender categories. At four or five, most children are firmly entrenched in culturally appropriate gender roles” (Kane, 1996)” (Maricopa Community College). Gender roles stem from societal norms in which society dictates what it accepted and/or not accepted by both men and women. Gender norms are so influential, that is has been demonstrated on multiple platforms. Such platforms include movies and television they emulate the current status of societal norms. For example, TV shows like the 6 million dollar man and Good Times, show how men and women are supposed to act and cooperate within society in the 1960s and 1970s. They are two different timelines but with only a decade difference, you can still see who the head of each household is and who nurtures and takes care of the household. Fast forward to movies such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you see that both partners have a career, no kids, treat each other as equals in decision-making. They do not have traditional jobs and their roles are traditional either. Though the woman still cooks and cleans, she also has the responsibility of financially providing for their family as well.
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