Gender & Family Roles

Hello and welcome back to another post! This week's topic is going to be all about gender differences and the roles they play in regard to family. 

Men and women have gender typical characteristics that are unique and so important. Both are equally important and bring valuable attributes to the table. I would like to point out some of these and talk about them and the roles they play. 

Some female-typical characteristics can include: 

• nurturing 
• cooperative 
• communicative 
• sensitive
• emotional 
• relative orientation
• detail orientation

I think something that a lot of people know and see is how women tend to be very nurturing. It seems to be so natural for us. This is because of the roles we play as mothers and natural caregivers. Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a little mommy. Another characteristic we see is that women tend to be more cooperative and involved in cooperative play as children, working side by side with others. We also are very communicative. Women tend to be able to sit down and have face to face conversations that last for hours. Another side that we tend to see with females is that they are sensitive and emotional. I'd like to talk about these for just a moment though. I don't think it's in a way that women cry too much or are weak or have no emotional control, I think it is actually the fact that women tend to be more empathetic and are able to connect with people emotionally. I see how women are able to have deep conversations, notice when someone is in need, and be emotionally aware of their own feelings and others. Another interesting thought is how females tend to think of things in relation to something. For example, when receiving directions, women will likely do better with directions that include landmarks and relativity. One last characteristic I want to point out is their ability to pay attention to detail. Women have a tendency to pay attention so small things, whether it is significant or not and it can be so beneficial for many reasons. 

Some male-typical characteristics can include: 

• competitive
• aggressive
• spatial orientation
• myopic
• risk taking 
• active/ combative

At first glance this list seems to be only based on outward expressions, but I don't think that's the case for a lot of these. Men tend to be very competitive and sometimes it is in relation to sports or activities, but it can also apply to ambitions and working hard to get somewhere. We can also see that males tend to be more aggressive and combative/ active. While in few cases this may not always be a good thing, I think that something good that stems from these attributes are that they protector their families. Another characteristic found in males is that they tend to be myopic which means that they think short term. A lot of people tend to put a negative connotation behind this, but I think that in many ways it can be beneficial to have people that are quick decision makers and not always over thinkers. Some decisions don't need over analyzing and over thinking, which is something a lot of females tend to do (myself included). Males also tend to be more of the risk takers and spatially oriented. 

An interesting fact to go along with this is that in our brains, women have more white matter which makes more connections and has connective tissue that relates with emotional and communication centers. Whereas men have more gray matter which makes shortcuts in their thought process. So, while women focus on many different things at once, men have a more laser focus on one task at a time and are able to see it through. Both are different, but neither are bad, and can be useful at different times. The Family Proclamation (churchofjesuschrist.org) talks about the importance of gender, identity, and our roles accordingly. I know that we are designed in these ways for a purpose. God does not make mistakes. We were born males and females to fulfill divine and unique purposes. Males and females have distinct differences that actually help us to strengthen one another. These roles are complimentary of each other and can yield amazing outcomes when people work together. In Genesis 2:18 it talks about Eve being a "help meet" for Adam. She was needed and necessary help and important companion for Adam. The Lord knows that we can be a help meet for one another and we all have divinely appointed roles. I hope that we can appreciate and recognize the beauty of His design and know that as men and women, we play vital roles in families and both are needed.