135: Gender Roles are Made-up

Meredyth with a Why

I’m sure you’ve been seeing a lot about gender roles in the media lately, whether it’s Target and the backlash of their LGBTQ clothing or it’s Florida establishing anti-trans laws. But this concept of traditional gender roles (and what happens when people step out of them) is everywhere lately.

It might be surprising to know that these “norms” have evolved throughout history and are more fluid than you might think. But for some reason, whether it’s religion or the media or fear of rejection, we keep adhering to these gender roles when we don’t have to.

In this episode, Alison, who is basically my co-host now, joins me in a continuation of last week’s episode on gender roles and what it might feel like to rebel against what society expects of us.

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What you’ll find in this episode:

Gender roles are more fluid than we’d like to believe and gender “norms” have come into existence more recently than we’d like to think

Referencing back to last week’s episode, I talk about the differences I’ve experienced in my “housewife” role now that I’m back home and the more “masculine” role of being away on business

If we can remove the rules behind gender roles and society doesn’t collapse, then these rules are obviously made up

How trying to avoid judgment and rejection is what makes us want to conform

Why we should embrace not following society’s expectations and see where it takes us

Get full show notes, resources, and links on my website!

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