Feminist Memoir
The issue of gender roles in a society there is usually the expectation that is placed. I lived in a family and community that valued gender roles, and we were supposed to conform to them and do as per what society dictated. When as young girls,we were not allowed to go out unless accompanied by our brothers. In Ijeoma’s article, she talks about how she was raised in a country where a set of rules was created to define a woman’s responsibility to her family in her community. As a child, she was required to prepare meals for the family, take care of her brothers and attend school. This points out the issue of gender equality.
Elements in intersectionality interact and intertwine, and this results in unique identities for individuals. We all have our own experiences of discrimination and oppression. Therefore, we must consider everything and anything that marginalizes people in terms of gender, class, race, and sexual orientation. Through intersectionality, I was able to understand the roles that the different genders play in society.
The earliest memory I had about my gender was the fact that while our brothers were allowed to go out and play, we were only allowed to do that on the condition that our brothers accompanied us. As girls in the family, we were not very much allowed the freedom to leave the house. These were the expectations we were given in the family, and as girls, we were supposed to spend a lot of time doing chores and helping out with many things in the house.
Every society has its gendered expectation that they adhere to. There are usually expectations that society puts on and expects the different genders to adhere to dressing, behavior, and presentation. From a young age, I knew that my parents expected my brothers to be aggressive and bold. As girls, my mother always told us to be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. I learned that society consistently placed some values in how we carried ourselves, and we were always supposed to conform to the expectations. I learned a lot about gendered expectations from my family, where each gender was expected to do something as per the community’s norms. Although there is a thin line in my friendships, there are some roles that are played depending on the gender.
There are so many norms that I have challenged throughout my life, while at the same time, I have learned to live with others. I have always challenged the idea of objectifying women to men throughout my life, and I believe all should be treated equally. Despite all these expectations, there is supposed to be equal treatment. There are so many other gender norms that I have accepted, like how I am supposed to present myself and how I dress, which to me is more of my character.
In the relationships and friendships that I have been in,there are gender plays a significant role in that there is a way that I am supposed to present myself. In our family, gender played a part, and there were things that I have done in the house because, as a girl, my parents restricted me. Gender plays a significant role in many relationships, work, family, and friendships we find ourselves.
I can define feminism as having equal opportunities for all genders and having a level playing field for the genders where no gender feels marginalized. Most of the time, women and girls are not given opportunities, and feminism addresses this by ensuring equal opportunities. Feminism is all about equality and not making women bigger than men, and it is an essentialingredient in our society today
