Anything Men can do, Women can do it Better

When Annie sings “anything you can do I can do better” men took this idea and ran with it. This is a world where women cannot outshine men; at least that is what the stereotype is. Although women can outshine men, it is a typecast that men should not let this happen. This gender gap occurs because our society allows it. No matter what problems get fixed, there are always stereotypes and issues that still have, yet, to be solved. The one about men not allowing women to outshine them still exists today. Men are supposed to be seen as being the best. However, it can be argued that women are starting to feel the same. A classification that was once given to men may be slowly becoming something that can be seen in woman. In fact, Annie was talking about herself, a female.

Some stereotypes are ones that are done for cruel reasons. Although in the past it may have been true in the past, men not letting women outshine them is not one of them. It used to be that women could not be better than men because society put women below men. Men were supposed to be the bread winner and be able to support their wives. If a woman were to make more money than a man, the status of that man would decline. Times have changed drastically and there are women today making more money than men. Although it can be argued that men and women are not at the same level, the gap between them has been reduced. Men do not want to women to outshine them for reasons other than being cruel. There are exceptions to every case, but for the most part, it is done without thinking that it can hurt a woman. A man’s ego, and to impress friends are key factors as to why men try to be superior.

Saying that men don’t let women outshine them for their own self-image may sound sh...

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...h genders can act like they know what is going on when they truly do not. Both genders can do what the other gender is supposed to do better. Stereotypes may never go away, but when essays like Fallows and Chabon write about them, it can open our eyes to different ideas. It can show that men still try to be the best at something. They do not want women to outshine them. The stereotype of men outshining women is more clearly seen than the stereotype of a woman outshining a man, but they both exist in their own ways. Time has changed the gender gap, and it will continue to change the stereotypes associated with each gender.

Works Cited

Chabon, Michael. "Faking It." The Writters Presence. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2012. 343-46. Print.

Fallows, James. "Throwing Like a Girl." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 Aug. 1996. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.