Culture refers to social norms and behaviours found in human societies. Various aspects of human behaviour, social practices like culture, expensive forms like music, arts, religion, rituals, and technologies like shelter and cooking are referred to as cultural universals, which are found in all human societies. Society, in most cases, demands people to observe cultures that have existed since time immemorial (Hutti, 125-136). The aim of this is to ensure that the virtue of good morals is passed from generation to generation.
Observing the rules of a given culture can be used as an identifier that a person belongs to a specific group of people. Other than that, many tribes ensure that their culture is being observed since, in most cases, it promotes the sense of responsibility, respect and sharing among different essential values that enable one to fit in the society. There are many demands that are expected of men and women when it comes to culture, and there exists a big difference regarding duties, dress, and many other things. There are specific things which men are allowed to do and not others. At times, some of these normal things may seem weird if done by women, no matter how comfortable they feel. The following aspects explain various cultural expectations and how they differ for men and women.
The first thing is making money. Men are expected to make more money than women. The greatest part of defining a man comes from the bank accounts. This is because men are believed to be greater than women, and in the case of a family, they also act as the head. All their duties can only be well accomplished if they are financially stable. This is why, in most cases, relationships where the wife works, leaving their husbands at home, are rarely successful. This is due to the exchange of roles, which is against cultural expectations. It is believed that whatever men bring to the table seems to be sweeter than what women bring. This also explains why rich men have a lot of people following them, but the poor usually lead an isolated life. In the standard society, women are expected to be beautiful, and men should be productive. In the past, there was a tendency for a boy child to be taken to schools or colleges while the girl child would be asked to stay at home in case their parents were not able to pay for both of their school fees. This is because male education was more valid than that of a girl, and they believed educating a boy child would open his ways of being successful and later getting a job which would benefit his family and other people. This shows that from ancient days, men were expected to be financially stable, which is being even practised in modern society.
The second aspect is being physically strong. It is one of the cultural expectations which is very common. In society, men are usually expected to be stronger and more masculine than women to provide protection. This is one of the things that men have less control over. This is why you will find most of them doing workouts to develop muscles and even become huge. But then, on the other hand, if the body is slight and small, naturally, there is nothing to be done to change it. With this expectation about the mind in mind, you will find that men who have small bodies are usually ignored by ladies. This is because they appear as if they cannot perform their duty of protecting as expected. Women, on the other hand, are always appreciated despite their body sizes and height. That’s why you will find them acting scared even with the movement of something tiny like a cockroach, and no one will be surprised since the culture defines them as being weak. When it comes to employment, it is evident that most ladies are normally given easy tasks like receptionists and cashiers while men are given jobs like security guards and other stuff. Although in the modern world, these beliefs tend to be done away with, very few ladies will feel comfortable doing hard tasks which were believed to be for men.
There is also a winning aspect which man always expects according to the culture. Even if they have money, it would be better if they had as much money as anybody else since they are expected to be better than anyone else (Mirandé, np). There exists intense pressure on men when it comes to competing, winning and caring about winning. They are expected to care about their position in the primate hierarchy chain, to be masculine and acceptable. When it comes to men, they live in a hierarchical world, which is all about who is at the top, who is the strongest, who is the best, etc. According to the cultural expectation, being a man means having titles, power, and positions. In general, men are expected to be some sought of patriarch. This does not mean that it’s necessary for them to be a father of children, but it can also mean being the head of a specific department at work, being board chairman or something else. This is why young boys are encouraged to build interest in games like sports, violence, and competition so that they can understand the feeling of winning in any activity at their early stages. When it comes to women, it’s very normal for them to lead unsuccessful lives when it comes to their careers or other activities. Having a successful man covers it all, and they will all feel comfortable about it. Since men appear at the top of the hierarchy, the family or the reflection of their relationship will rely mostly on what the man can do.
In general, there are various responsibilities which are distributed in society based on gender (Ward et al. 15-30). Culture demands that each person must perform his/ her duties to be well accommodated and appreciated by other people. Although it encourages people to be responsible, at times, it acts as a barrier for others to achieve their goals. For instance, in the modern world, you will find women who are passionate about doing various careers like building and construction, but since that hard task is believed to belong to men, who are said to be masculine, they tend to fear doing the job with the fear of feeling out of place. Other than this, we realize that cultural expectations may cause men to strain so much just to impress other people. For instance, in marriage, if the husband happens to be jobless and the wife works, he will have to toil and strain so much to secure himself a job. The reason behind doing all this is to avoid mockeries from friends and family. Or being thought of as being dependent on a lady. It is, therefore, essential for people to do whatever feels right, but with limits. When it comes to working, everyone should be encouraged to work rather than expecting men to take care of everything since we all have the potential.
Work Cited
Hutti, Marianne H., et al. “Predicting Need for Follow-Up Due to Severe Anxiety and Depression Symptoms After Perinatal Loss.” Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing47.2 (2018): 125-136.
Mirandé, Alfredo. Hombres y machos: Masculinity and Latino culture. Routledge, 2018.
Ward, Martha C., and Monica D. Edelstein. “Introduction.” A World Full of Women. Routledge, 2015. 15-30.
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