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Gender Roles And Women Essay

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Gender Role Expectations Gender roles have shaped society for centuries and continue to do so now. Various cultures attribute certain attitudes, behaviors and values to particular genders and deviation from the roles for any of the genders may be viewed as inappropriate. Gender roles are a construct of the society and are what cultures view as fit for both women and men as they interact with one another on a daily basis. Given these societal standards, women and men meeting for the first time expect certain actions and attitudes from the other party especially when they are choosing a long-term mate. Previous research points to men and women responding positively to the traditional sex stereotypes of the other. This paper examines what preferences men and women have when choosing a life or romantic partner.

A look at the Personals on Craigslist in New York City reveals that there is certain common attributes people desire. An ad posted by a woman looked for an employed professional who was in good financial standing. The second ad looked for an emotional man. The third ad placed emphasis on the physical attractiveness of the man with fitness of physique being one of the qualities desired. The woman also wanted a man who was honest and was also active professionally. The fourth ad looked for humor while the fifth ad looked for a fit and attractive professional with a good education who also ready for a committed relationship. The sixth wanted attractiveness and a good physique in their prospective partner. The seventh ad was pretty interesting as they hinted that they were not...

The eighth ad looked for an individual with great physique who was also emotional and commitment oriented.
From the ads, one can identify the most desired attributes in a potential romantic partner. The first four ads saw half of the women state their desire to meet a financially stable man who was in stable employment. The other characteristics are honesty, humor, emotion and commitment. Another attribute was the attractive physique and quality of the potential romantic partner. From the ads, one can deduce that women place great emphasis on financial security, great personal characteristics such as a sense of humor and psychological traits. The society expects strong men to have these traits. Today's woman still wants their man to live up to the traditional expectations laid on men by society. While physical traits are noted, they are not as important today as they were in the past. Nonetheless, as noted in the eighth ad, some women still want physically attractive men with great physique. For them, other attributes such as commitment, education and profession may not be of such high importance.

The first four ads see the women describe the traits they desire from their ideal mates. Without deliberately…

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