In today’s society, men and women are meant to be viewed as equals, with legislation put in place that frowns upon discrimination, for example in the workplace.

However, although gender roles in the home and at work have come a long way, the way behaviour is perceived has not come quite so far.

If a man goes for a night out, and ends up a bit worse for wear, he is affectionately often referred to as being a normal ‘lad’ out enjoying himself. But if it’s a woman then she is viewed as being part of the female binge-drinking crisis, and if one argues that she goes out rarely, due to having a family, this can be met with even more fury, as she is obviously neglecting her children and setting a bad example.

In times gone past, men were expected to ‘sow their wild oats’ before they found themselves a wife. Although this mentality is slowly changing, such promiscuity is still far more acceptable for men than it is for a member of the opposite sex living their life before they settle down. If a woman does behave this way, they are labelled with many terrible terms.

An effect of the changing roles of the family throughout time has been the creation of the ‘stay at home dad’ or ‘house husband’. The biggest stepping stone to this now increasingly common role was the Second World War, when women had to pursue careers to provide for the family while their husbands were away fighting. After the war, many families settled back into the traditional idea that the father was the main breadwinner. Nevertheless, some women found they liked working and wished to pursue their careers, which meant that the children needed to be cared for, and if outside help was too expensive, it fell to the father to take on the responsibility.

Although in some countries the idea of a stay at home dad is seen as unacceptable and it is still stereotyped, the number in Western countries is at a high and is becoming commonplace.

It seems there are now two typical ideas of women in the workplace, the first is the cold-hearted cutthroat boss, who will carry out tasks with no or little emotion, and this idea is fuelled by the media, in particular television, through shows such as Ugly Betty. The other is the gossiping receptionist who can most commonly be found taking a personal call or filing her nails. Hopefully over time this will change and a medium will be found, I feel that this is a strong possibility, as the times are constantly changing. For example, Hilary Clinton supported her husband during his presidency and stood by him amidst his affairs. She now has run for office herself and has a prominent position in the groundbreaking Obama administration. She is clearly a dutiful wife and a trailblazer for women.

I would like for both genders to be equal in all aspects of their lives someday, but I don’t know if that is possible, maybe we are too different and will always be perceived by society as such.