GenderRoleSwapping MADNESS (A page and a half...maybe more)

When comparing the roles for the average women and man fifty years ago to now, the phrase that "things change" is an extreme understatement. Since that first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York where 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments woman has been slowly but surely evolving from its original definition. For some, it may boggle the mind to know that there once was a time not too long ago when women weren't even allowed to vote and was often viewed as her husband's property. Now women not only take up a majority of the working class, they are dominant in education as well! This information begs the question: Have men and women swapped roles in terms of dominance? A combination of the evolution of woman: from pursued to pursuers, and from homemakers to breadwinners- may have changed men's roles in the process. Men are now more feminine- caring more about hair and clothes, and less likely to get dirty and be the primary provider in a relationship.
A Fox news article entitled, "The war on men" by Suzanne Venker gives the old fashioned female perspective of this swap. In it, Venker encourages women to "surrender to their natural femininity" and talks about how woman's progression has deterred men from the prospect of marriage and how feminist views influence sexual relationships outside of marriage because "women are in control of their sex lives". The article is based on a book written by Venker with the same title as the article (The war on men). The book covers a lot of points including the fact that women have been raised to view men as the enemy. From their mothers ("Be careful who you give your heart to), to their fathers ("Boys are dogs, they only want one thing-I know, I used to be one of them"), to forms of media like movies and television, (Think Like a man, John Tucker must die, Alfie etc.), and how it's affected their view on men and has instilled this competitive attitude towards the opposite sex in many women today. A second source is a book entitled, "Self made man: One woman's journey into manhood and back again" by Norah Vincent. This is a particularly interesting source because it's written by a journalist who, for eighteen months, operated under the moniker Ned-as a man. She experienced first hand the nuances and unspoken rituals of masculinity and got a sneak peak into how the male mind works in the best way possible: full immersion. In the book, Norah talks about how she even went as far as to date women in her quest to dissect the XY chromosome.
another media that covers the topic of gender roles in today's society is an article entitled, "Masculinity and femininity -Society's difference dividend". This source is awesome because it not only talks about society's supportive views of women attaining man positions in employment, but it talks about how it has affected the roles of men in terms of house husbands and trophy men. On television, men are no longer portrayed as the strong, providing, family leaders, but instead are viewed to be sloppy fat men who drink beer and watch football. It shows both sides of the coin.
Originally, In its infancy, this paper solely about the evolution of women (work, aggressive,education, etc) ,but later, an in depth conversation with my friend Charlie on the topic brought up some very good points about how men's roles have also been affected. This was the impetus that was needed to bring this topic to the next level: Have society's gender roles swapped?
He (Charlie) was of the opinion that today's men are less likely to do things like go hunting, get dirty, and play sports in comparison to times past. He also expressed concern over the media's (pop culture's) portrayal of father as a sideshow instead of leader and provider. Families no longer operate in the ways that they used to. Getting insight from men like Charles, and a few other guys friends with opinions about this controversial subject-was crucial in order to have more meat to this paper. Getting a good feel of the male perspective firsthand from interviewing male college students at Mizzou about their opinions on specific topics represent a specific demographic.

I know we already talk about this in discussion. keep up the good work and remember to go back and check. there were a couple of times you started thoughts and just didn't finish them

This is a very interesting topic, but it is one that people will be interested in, not just me but a lot of people. Keep working on the research, this will be a really good idea to use.