Noticing
People with traditional gender roles attitudes are more vulnerable to psychological distress than those with no such attitudes. Attitudes towards gender roles can affect the well-being of an individual. Psychological distress is more profound among men, particularly those who are unemployed. Traditional gender roles among unemployed men make them susceptible to psychological distress because of the feelings of inadequacy as men. The inability to provide for their families makes unemployed men with traditional gender roles attitudes to feel less of men. Such men tend to be irritable and violent in order to cover for their lowered esteem issues. On the contrary, men in paid employment but with traditional gender roles attitudes are less vulnerable to psychological distress since they possess the ability to meet demands that come with their definitions of being men. Manhood A study by Sweeting et al. (2013) details how men with traditional gender role attitudes tend to expect more from women in relationships or marriages and easily get frustrated when those expectations are not met. Conflicts between gender role attitudes and actual gender roles cause psychological distress among men than women. Essentially, women are more liberal when it comes to their perceptions about their roles as women and what they expect from their partners in relationships, workplaces or marriage (Sagara & Ikeda, 2006). Similarly, gender traditionalism is low among younger people, implying that the present digital age is increasingly changing roles and attitudes, particularly among the youth. In a nutshell, the study recognizes that attitudes on gender roles have far-reaching implications on the well-being of an individual.
Articulating a Problem and Its Details
Gender role traditionalism is a major risk factor for psychological distress in the new millennium. In the present digital age, the social landscape is increasingly changing blurring gender barriers and associated roles and perceptions. The modern woman is more educated and empowered than before and can, therefore, equally participate in advancing the global socio-economic and political discourses. In this respect, traditional roles are becoming irrelevant in the new millennium. Individuals who still hold traditional gender roles attitudes can hardly cope with the demands of the present world and are therefore likely to suffer from psychological distress. Changes in gender roles and attitudes are changing the meanings of relationships, particularly marital and professional relationships (Sweeting et al., 2013). Modern-day relationships are premised on principles of gender equality. More than ever before, men and women exist as partners and relate on equal footing as opposed to the past where there were power imbalances in relationships. Men who are unable to change their attitudes to suit the present social landscape can easily suffer psychological distress due to unmet expectations in their relationships. The situation could be exacerbated by socio-economic factors such as unemployment (Kulik, 2018). A married man with traditional gender roles attitude, for instance, is unlikely to cope with the loss of unemployment as feelings of being inadequate as a man would easily set in. The younger generation is being socialized into a world with gender equality and belief in affirmative action. Many millennials do not subscribe to gender role traditionalism. As a result, the well-being of many young people is unlikely to be affected by conflicts between gender roles attitudes and actual gender roles. The modern world demands men and women to overcome gender prejudices and gender roles traditionalism. To that end, the present generation presents both men and women with equal opportunities for personal, social, and cognitive development. The potential impact of holding onto gender roles traditionalism in the present millennial generation is increased incidences of psychological distress and adverse effects on the well-being of individuals.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Posing Fruitful Questions
To what extent do gender roles and attitudes affect the well-being of individuals in the millennium age?
Has the millennium age increased conflicts between gender role attitudes and actual gender roles?
Does gender role traditionalism increase psychological distress in unemployed men?
Can gender role traditionalism also cause psychological distress in women?
Could there be external factors affecting the wellbeing of individuals in addition to their attitudes towards gender roles in the millennial age?
In what ways can individuals with traditional attitudes on gender roles be helped to cope with the demands of the present generation?
Identifying What Is At Stake
Sweeting et al. (2013) recognize that traditional attitudes on gender roles can cause psychological distress and adversely affect the well-being of an individual, particularly men in the present millennial age. The reason is that those who subscribe to gender role traditionalism are unable to effectively adapt to the demands of the millennial age, particularly the power balance in relationships and interactions between men and women. The present age embodies the idea of gender equality where women in particular, are no longer subservient to men or relegated to traditional roles of household chores or less demanding tasks at the workplace (Howell et al., 2012). Expecting women to stick to traditional roles in the present age can strain relationships between men and women. Men with traditional gender role attitudes will likely feel disrespected or perceive gender equality in assigning roles at the workplace as an affront on their manhood. Consequently, they are likely to suffer psychological distress particularly low self-esteem.
The study further recognized that the millennial era has, to a large extent, increased conflicts between gender role attitudes and actual roles. The millennial age has come with increased global calls for gender affirmative action aimed at removing socio-cultural beliefs and practices that are prescribed to disadvantage women. As a result, the modern woman is empowered to take up roles that were traditionally carried out by men (Howell et al., 2013). Men, on the other hand, are ill-prepared to deal with the modern woman, who is perceived as a threat to the survival of the male species. With more women empowered to rise against the tide of gender traditionalism, the conflict between gender roles attitudes and actual gender roles is likely to worsen. More than half of the world population today comprises of millennials, who are raised in settings where gender divisions in assigning of duties and roles are less prevalent.
Equally, gender roles attitudes can affect women as they affect men. Women who hold traditional gender roles attitudes are likely to be frustrated by men who fail to perform the roles that are culturally assigned to them. Prolonged frustrations can negatively affect the well-being of women (Kulik, 2018). The well-being of men and women could be affected by other external factors including health factors such as illness and economic factors such as poverty. The presence of confounding factors such as poverty or illness is likely to strengthen the negative effects of gender role traditionalism on the well-being of both men and women.
There is a need to enlighten communities and individuals, particularly men to embrace values, beliefs, and practices that support gender equality. Additionally, there is a need to intensify advocacy campaigns on gender equality in the assignment of roles at the workplace, family or other settings in order to weaken the hydra of gender role traditionalism (Connell, 2005). Communities also need to be sensitized on the potential implications of gender role traditionalism on the well-being of individuals. Lastly, individuals experiencing psychological distress mediated by gender role conflicts should be advised to seek professional help, including counselling and guidance on how to cope with the demands of the millennial age.
References
Connell, R. W. (2005). Change among the gatekeepers: Men, masculinities, and gender equality in the global arena. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society , 30 (3), 1801–1825. DOI: 10.1086/427525
Howell, L. P., Beckett, L. A., Nettiksimmons, J., & Villablanca, A. C. (2012). Generational and gender perspectives on career flexibility: ensuring the faculty workforce of the future. The American journal of medicine , 125 (7), 719–728. DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.03.013
Kulik, L. (2018). Contribution of gender role ideology to explaining emotional wellbeing among working parents. Community, Work & Family , 1–19. DOI: 10.1080/13668803.2018.1540402
Sagara, J., Ito, Y., & Ikeda, M. (2006). Gender-role attitude and psychological well-being of middle-aged men: Focusing on employment patterns of their wives. Japanese Psychological Research , 48 (1), 17–26. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5884.2006.00301.x
Sweeting, H., Bhaskar, A., Benzeval, M., Popham, F., & Hunt, K. (2013). Changing gender roles and attitudes and their implications for well-being around the new millennium. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , 49 (5), 791–809. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-013-0730-y
