http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/09/04/gender-neutral-parenting-letting-kids-choose
This article from the U.S. News Health Magazine discusses the recent changes in perspective on gender roles (and the slow diminishment of them), including how large enterprises and stores such as Target have taken initiative on the hot topic of gender neutrality for growing children. The article pinpoints an emphasis on not only the environment portrayed in places such as schools, but most importantly in regards to how a child is raised within the family at home. Even more so, the growing debate over the increasing demand for "safe" spaces that are specifically gender-neutral, whether it be directed towards bathrooms or on a college campus, has gained even more prominence as a movement.
Susan Okin places similar importance on the issues of destroying gender roles at the supposed source: the family. Following the reasoning that infants are not born autonomous, but rather as humans in a state that are meant to be manipulated and developed by the family (in short, nurture over nature). Okin understands it to be the case that gender roles and the subsequent social constructs from these concepts can be unearthed in the political theories that carry us through life and through the deliberations of the federal government. The notion of including the "family" in the study of a political science curriculum was a subject spoken about in class, but this article surely drives home the need to study the ramifications of one's upbringing. As a result, should the idea of gender neutrality become a more substantial in the study of political science, a major that already adheres to a wide scope of issues in creating explanations and theories for understanding and improving society as we know it?
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ReplyDeleteI think "reforming" is a better word for gender roles. "Destroying" will be the least result that Okin want to obtain. It is clear that Okin doesn't want to see "pregnant women" and "the others" are treated the same, which will be the exact outcome if we "destroy" our current gender role system.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jia that for Okin the reform of gender roles is more important rather than the destruction of gender roles. I don't think that gender neutrality should become more substantial in the study of political science but rather gender equality.Gender neutrality is not the same as gender equality - neutrality means that the two genders will be regarded as the same and this will be wrong because it is acknowledged that the male gender is stronger than the female. Equality is different - it means that both genders will be provided with equal rights. The paradigm of feminism states that women are less prone to violence when it comes to solving issues and they are also less prone to corruption when it comes to ruling a government. Therefore, women should be encouraged to participate more in politics as this will contribute for more global corporation.
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