English Modern Society

2934 Words12 Pages
Throughout the centuries there have been many changes in gender specific roles in society, the workplace, and the home front. There are many opposing views on the subject of whether it is socially acceptable for men to give up the role of primary breadwinners in the household and move into a more domesticated role. The statistics of today’s researchers are showing that whether the majority of society believes in this shift or not, a very noticeable change is rapidly occurring. However, history allows us to draw on traditional ways. In Peg Tyre and Daniel McGinn’s essay, “She Works, He Doesn’t.”, it is clear that the author is representing today’s 21st century society and the change from the male species dominating the primary role to the female taking over. However, I have taken my childhood upbringing and history to validate my opinion that the man should be the “head of the household” in the aspect of work. In “She Works, He Doesn’t.” the main point is to show that the world of work is changing due to problems and openness that citizens of today’s society faces, however, I choose to believe that men should be the primary breadwinner due to family traditions and those of history. Today’s 21st century couples are better adapted to face the constant changing of primary breadwinner within the household. This statement is the main theme in the essay “She Works, He Doesn’t.” This essay is focused around women taking over the role of being the one who provides financial support for the family. Women have done an incredible job in redefining the definitions of the words: gender and labor. Many refer to gender as male and female and associate specific jobs and tasks with the word. Labor is often defined as the work one does for money. The word labor is directly linked with the word gender because society believes that certain types of labor are specific for each gender.
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