Gender Norms: A Thing of the Past?

    Work life balance is a very hard feat to achieve, especially when many tasks and expectations are dumped upon you. In society, there are many roles that are misguidedly gender stereotyped and generalized to the public; however, not all cultures believe in them. When discussing employment in the labor force, it is no secret that men are more likely to be employed merely due to sexism and the stereotype of the “housewife”. In 2020, women only represented 38.8% of all participants in the global labor force1. In many other nations, such as the country of Japan, women make up a greater portion of their respective labor force. In Japan’s past, however, women faced tensions due to the social pressure of working and being married; thus, in the 1970s, 62% of the female labor force had never been married. Although by 1987, 68% of the female workforce was married, and only 23% had never been married2. Such statistics show the growing rejection of stereotypical gender norms. 

Another example is in Sweden with parental leaves. Typically these leaves are associated with women as they are the ones who are allegedly supposed to take on the role of the caretaker. In Sweden, parents are given sixteen months of paid leave per child, and a minimum of two months is required to be used by the “minority” parent: the father2. Such regulations encourage equality among parental responsibilities and ultimately destroy these foolish stereotypes. Although the mother gave birth to the child, it is both parent’s responsibility to take care of the baby. If anything, the excruciating pain of childbirth is an even better reason for the father to take greater care of the newborn to help out his wife. Times from the past are changing and many cultures’ values are along with it. In order to achieve a better society, it's best to leave gender norms as a thing of the past.