Gender roles in the 21st Century

The gender roles have forever regulated and influenced our love lives, with a different set of rules and guidelines, for both men and women. Nowadays, these traditional roles have vastly shifted, and began to evolve to mirror the perception of gender in the modern era. It has now become a guessing game for men to know what is polite, let alone acceptable behavior, when dating women.

As we move toward a gender-equal society, and men and women are operating on a similar level, it becomes harder to implement romance and have a clear understanding of one another's boundaries and expectations. The old gender roles we lived by are diminishing, as much as research shows that traditional gender roles prevail.

Upon surveying numerous women, a very mixed response arose from topics such as a man paying for dinner, a man ordering on a woman's behalf, etc. For example, some women expect the man to pay for dinner, other women are insulted if the man wants to pay, whilst others even become offended if the man does not offer.
Now for a man, this can be a very simple thing. To pay or not to pay? Whatever will keep her happy, they generally make the assumption and are happy to pay, was the overwhelming response to the same topic with men.
A simple gesture that has been performed throughout the ages, which was purely black and white, has now become a faded grey. This is an unnecessary question mark in a mans world of dating, that has caused a number of men to become off put with the art of dating to avoid walking on eggshells and potentially upsetting a women for a reason they feel is not valid.

Upon surveying numerous women, a very mixed response arose from topics such as a man paying for dinner, a man ordering on a woman's behalf, etc. For example, some women expect the man to pay for dinner, other women are insulted if the man wants to pay, whilst others even become offended if the man does not offer.
Now for a man, this can be a very simple thing. To pay or not to pay? Whatever will keep her happy, they generally make the assumption and are happy to pay, was the overwhelming response to the same topic with men.
A simple gesture that has been performed throughout the ages, which was purely black and white, has now become a faded grey. This is an unnecessary question mark in a mans world of dating, that has caused a number of men to become off put with the art of dating to avoid walking on eggshells and potentially upsetting a women for a reason they feel is not valid.

It is becoming harder and harder for men to know how they are to act and how to treat women accordingly. A mans intention can be so pure and genuine, yet he can attract a negative response if his ideas do not aline with his dates.

It is also becoming more difficult for women to truly know what they want or how they should think and behave with increased emphasis on female dominance and independence. The pressure to act as expected, or with the mindset of impressing other strong women rather than men they are interested in, can overwhelm and imbalance their opinions of gender roles in relationships.

Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude toward us.

Samantha K

extract from eBook