How Gender Roles are Changing in America

America cares a lot about your gender. It starts at birth. Baby boys are dressed in blue. Baby girls are dressed in pink. It continues into your toddlerhood. Boys can only play with trucks, military soldiers, and action figures. Girls have to play with kitchen sets and dollhouses. 

This makes it hard to break free from these rigid gender roles once kids arrive in their teen years and early adulthood. Early impressions of the world and how kids fit into it are heavily influenced by gender. These impressions stick throughout childhood and into adulthood. It’s hard to break out of these roles later in life. 

Fortunately, many men and women have started to explore the interests that were off-limits in past decades. High schools around the country offer nearly every male-dominant sport to a female one, too. Women are allowed to drive trucks, and men can become hairdressers. 

With these changes, there are shifts in what products are being bought. Both genders are educating themselves on saving money with their newfound hobbies. Chevy Tahoe insurance cost is now something that women will be concerned with. Men will research fancy clothing and discounts for it at department stores.

We’ll discuss how the types of merchandise that are sold have changed just as gender norms have in recent years. We’ll talk about whether there is more room to grow, and whether we will ever get to a point where there is no such thing as gendered products. Is this a good or a bad thing?

Why does merchandise get tied to gender? 

Companies market their products to specific groups because it is much easier to go with the norm than to change. It is smart business to direct your attention to what has always worked. 

Fortunately, the market has started to dictate that customers want different things than they did decades ago. People now have the courage to embrace trying new things that weren’t part of the norm years ago.

Women can still wear velvet dresses, but if they want to put on a pantsuit or business clothes, that’s just fine too. A wardrobe used to be a way to box people in and limit the expression of their personalities.

Female outfits are usually frilly, soft, weaker, and flamboyant. They are supposed to encourage beauty because women are unfairly expected to impress everyone with their physical appearance. 

Men are supposed to wear more practical or workman-like shirts and pants. This is because they have been the providers throughout history. Men are supposed to clock in for eight hours a day, and their clothing reflects a life that is dedicated to work. 

Masculinity is tied to employability and strength. If they break this norm and wear something defined as feminine, it means they are no longer powerful or fierce. Women aren’t supposed to dress like men because it means they are no longer staying in their lane. 

As humans have started to wake up to how ignorant it is to tie a piece of cloth you wear on your body to gender, clothing retailers have come along for the ride. It is more acceptable to mix and match styles and designs. This is directly related to the activities both genders are participating in now. 

What activities are shifting with gender norms? 

Dress is not the only thing that has changed. The wide range of activities that have started to exist in 2022 has helped contribute to the expansion of diverse lifestyles. 

Playing video games used to be thought of as a male activity. The influx of gaming systems has made women join in on the fun. 

Smartphones have especially helped give women an opportunity for playing games in a format that is different from the traditional one in front of the television. The game Minecraft has over a trillion views online now, displaying the power of media to ignore gender boundaries. 

This is an important example because gaming is an incredibly interactive entertainment option. It is a powerful tool for people to enter a world and control a character that is different from who they are. 

Boys can play as princesses and girls can play as muscle-bound tomb raiders. It gives them the opportunity to see the world through a different lens. When people try out different ways of expressing themselves in games, it helps build acceptance in the real world. People won’t be as afraid to explore different parts of themselves.  

There is no area that has seen more progress in redefining gender than playing sports. Getting exercise, competing with others, building teamwork skills, and having fun should not be thought of as masculine. Women and men can both take part in these activities.

There are pro leagues that expand every sport, from basketball to softball. The women who play soccer for the American national team are arguably even more famous than the men.

This is because society has started to accept that women aren’t just supposed to be behind a kitchen counter building cheeseboard creations. They can explore every option that life has to offer. 

Does society have more strides to take? 

We certainly still have more progress to make in how gender norms are viewed. Women still make less than men in most career paths. This makes it difficult for them to embrace traditionally masculine activities. Driving trucks or buying computer equipment are two great examples of this. 

Men make more money because their jobs are deemed more important. In turn, they can afford to do more expensive activities. Say a woman buys a Chevy Tahoe, the truck referenced earlier. 

The insurance costs on the truck can be over $100 a month. You can find discounts with good driving habits, but a lack of equal pay and myths about women being bad drivers are going to make it harder for them to handle the expenses of the truck. 

We must get to a point where gender is irrelevant in the workforce. This will level the playing field for salaries. It will allow women to explore masculine activities without worrying about the money they could lose. 

This will also bring greater respect to feminine activities. They will no longer be viewed as less valuable or important hobbies if women are on the same ground as men in the workforce and the home.

Husbands can become homemakers while their wives bring in the bacon. We certainly feel like we’re getting closer here. Let’s hope it keeps going this way. 

Photo by monkeybusinessimages at iStock by Getty Images

Shawn Laib writes and researches for the car insurance comparison site, QuoteInspector.com. He cares about relating insurance costs to the larger dynamics of society, like gender.