Family Expectations Essay

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"How does society 's expectation of gender roles in supporting the family financially affect the lives of those who don 't measure up to the traditional expectations set for men in the family?” The world we live in has an overwhelming amount of gender norms. They tell us how to act, what to look like, what we should do for a living and the list goes on. These norms can be very difficult to deal with for those who do not measure up to them. Men especially often feel the need to measure up to the masculine ideal of being strong, tough, dominant etc… One of the ways in which they do this is in supporting their families. For years, men have been the sole provider of the household or the “breadwinner” while the women took care of the household They get so busy working that they don 't stop to spend time with their significant other, which leads to failed marriages. Money should not play a role in relationships, however, “positive changes in earnings, were associated with greater odds of marriage” (Gibson-Davis). The reason for this could be that because men are fulfilling their duty of supporting the family they do not have any extra stress to bring home and put on their relationship. Transition word when men are unable to meet their families financial needs it can put a lot of extra stress on them. This explains why men often work many extra hours, for overtime and extra pay. This may relieve the financial pressures and stress on the family, but it puts an entirely new stress on the family. While out working excessive hours to support the family, fathers and husbands miss out on many things. Things that are more important than money: family events, school plays, sports etc… When they miss these events it puts a major strain on their relationship with their partner and their children. They miss out on crucial years that they will not be able to get back and at a certain point they completely lose their bond with their family members. A bond they will not be able to get

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