What is the boy who tells the girl to go and make him a sandwich? Single. And what is the girl who tells him what he can do with his sandwich? A feminist.
The term feminist has negative connotations, just as the women’s rights movement does. Although this issue was supposedly resolved several decades ago as women became legally equal to men, issues over gender inequality are still present today in schools as well as in the rest of society.
Violations of equality are present in the student handbook as girls are required to wear a uniform, while boys simply have to follow a dress code. Male students are given more freedom for personal expression because they are not required to wear the same exact outfit as every other boy in the school. In contrast, girls must all wear the same skirt and polo shirt, with accessorizing being the only opportunity for individuality. In order for the policy to be fair, both girls and boys should have the same rules and regulations concerning their attire.
On the other hand, girls tend to not be reprimanded quite as often for short skirts simply because it is an awkward subject for a male teacher or faculty member to broach with a female student. Males, however, have their names bellowed down the hallway by social studies teacher Rodney Johnson or Assistant Athletic Director Tim Perry to order the boys to tuck their shirt in or button their top button.
In addition, students bring some of these inequalities upon themselves when it comes to dating. Some say that chivalry is dead, referring to the days when a gentleman would open their date’s car door or let the ladies go first. The very definition of feminism implies that feminists would prefer equality over any special treatment, but their ideals seems to go by the wayside before any formal school dance, when every girl is rushing to find a date. Society has raised girls who would rather be asked instead of doing the asking.
However, these incongruences do not only apply to teenagers.
Talk show host Rush Limbaugh recently misspoke when disagreeing with President Obama’s new health insurance regulation that would allow a woman’s contraception to be paid for by her employer, calling the woman in question a “slut” and a “prostitute.”
However, Limbaugh was unaware of how false his words were since the woman he referred to was actually using contraceptives to control her ovarian cysts. Although the Catholic Church prohibits the use of birth control regardless of if the woman’s motives are sexual or not, a woman could be using contraceptives for a number of reasons. I believe that choice is theirs, whether they are controlling acne or preventing pregnancy.
This recent example in popular culture demonstrates the double standard hidden from polite conversation, whether it is demonstrated in the news or in JC’s hallways. A high school girl who admits to using birth control would be branded a slut, without her accusers bothering to ask about the reasons. But would every guy with a condom in his wallet be branded a prostitute? Absolutely not.
Gender inequality has been ingrained in society and admittedly may never be completely eradicated. Social norms have women being the caretakers of the family and men being the source of financial support. While this is not always necessarily true today, it’s still surprising to see gender roles switched. A woman asking a man to marry her and supporting her husband with her higher-paying job is just not seen very often.
Some of these customs are a part of society for reasons that cannot be described and therefore cannot be easily altered. Still, society’s written and unwritten rules should be consistent for both men and women in an attempt to gradually remove gender stereotypes. Men can make great sandwiches too.
Cara Reilly is the Copy Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com