Does Gender Matter?

This week in class, we discussed gender. And more specifically how society views the role of males and females. Society has gotten away from the typical male and female roles, and I personally think that this is a problem. Yes, anything a male can do, a female can do, and anything a female can do a male can do, but one gender just does it better. It doesn’t make it bad; it just means one gender is naturally more fit to play that role. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints has a document that outlines the roles of men and women. It's called “THE FAMILY A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD” (the link should take you to the official document.) It doesn’t mean that these roles are the only thing they can do but serves as a guide.

Let’s talk about the role men play first. The Family Proclamation states that “fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” It's natural for a father (or husband) to want to protect and provide for their families. It's engraved in them ever since their little. They have roll-models all around them to show them what it looks like to provide for their family. It's not always the right way to do it though. Some men take it to the extreme and are never home because they are out providing for their family. It's also the male’s role to teach the children certain things. I remember growing up, anytime my dad was working on the cars, or fixing something around the house, I loved to be right there helping him and learning how to do it. It's important for children to learn from both their fathers and mothers.

The Family Proclamation also states that “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” That once again comes naturally to women even at a young age. Have you ever seen a little girl with her baby doll? She naturally knows to care for it and can be so gentle with it. Now some people can take this statement to mean that women need to be stay at home moms and only take care of the children and clean the house. This is the farthest thing from the truth!! Women can have jobs and still take care of the children. I've seen it done in many households. It all depends on what they feel is best for their families.

We’ve talked about men’s roles and women’s roles separately, now let’s talk about their roles together, and how by working as a team they can succeed in anything they do. The Family Proclamation states “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live… In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.” No one gender is better than another. Male and females are meant to complement each other and where one falls short, the other picks up the slack. If in your own family it's best if the mother works, and the father stays home with the kids that’s great. As long as the children are happy and taken care of, that’s all that matters. Yes women tend to be better at the emotional support for children, and men tend to provide the physical support better, but that doesn’t mean mom has to stay home, and dad has to work. Every family is different and as long as you’re doing your best, that’s all that counts.