Choices
The traditional roles of men and women have changed, but have you stopped to think about what it means in everyday life? We live these changes and are part of the revolution, but don’t always pause and realize what it looks like. Have you or someone you know shifted away from traditional roles but tried to maintain the norms of the day to day tasks of men and women? Let’s take a few minutes to see what life’s menu now has to offer.
If we made life choices off of a menu, what would it look like and what options would you choose?
Let’s go out to eat at a new restaurant, Choices, for date night after a long week. It offers many wonderful options that fit the modern day family. You can peruse the traditional menu that has predetermined selections that you simply order or you can choose á la carte options (individual items) and create your own meal.
Who doesn’t love the traditional options? A list of entrees carefully crafted with items that complement each other nicely. Common options include spaghetti and meatballs, steak and potatoes, chicken with pasta and a veggie…the list goes on.
For you there’s a problem…these options contain ingredients that you don’t like or cannot eat. They do not fit your lifestyle. Meat and potatoes are a classic combo, but what if you are a vegetarian? On a low carb diet? No potatoes for you!
Let’s take a minute to imagine ordering the different aspects of our life from the menu of Choices. If the traditional roles of men and women were meal options, what would they be?
Let’s go out to dinner with Ashley and Patrick and see what they choose from the traditional menu. Ashley is the VP of Homefront Operations (manages all things house and kids) and Patrick works outside the home full time. They’ve been seated at the restaurant, settled in, glasses of Cabernet in hand and they’re ready to order. Decisions, decisions….
Waiter: “Good evening, what can I get for you today sir?”
Patrick: “I’d like the Man’s Special, which includes income, car maintenance, house projects, with a side of lawn mowing please.”
Waiter: “For your lawn mowing, push mower or tractor?”
Patrick: “Tractor!”
Waiter: “Great, and for you Ma’am?”
Ashley: “I would like the Grand Slam, which has the morning routine, lunch packing, school transport, after school activities….and for dessert I’d like the ‘banana split’ made up of grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and laundry with a cherry on top, please.”
Waiter: “Okay, great. For your transport…minivan or sedan?
Ashley: “Minivan, please.”
Waiter: Alright! I’ll put these orders right in for you.
Ashley and Patrick’s traditional menu order has various options: pets, kids, type of car, house, apartment, condo, location…but all options are rooted in the model of a woman staying home and the man going to work. Each having gender specific roles and tasks representing the expectations that society had on each in the past.
There were reasons why the gender roles and norms were established in the past that no longer apply to modern day society and the old menu options do not work for everyone. To paraphrase from an article, 11 Examples of Gender Roles by Ann Duvaux (1), “traditional roles were driven by men hunting for food and women caring for children, back in our cave days!” Society has changed, and the roles of men and women are changing with it. Women are working, men are staying home, or both are working either part time or full time.
For these scenarios that are becoming increasingly common, what are the menu options? Let’s check out the Choices á la carte menu.
We’re back at the restaurant and at another table with Jack and Maddy. Jack was recently promoted to the position of Vice President of Homefront Operations when Maddy took a promotion at work and he stays home with their three spirited kids. Maddy has a full time job and now has more responsibility at work and more demands on her time with her new position. Instead of ordering from tradition Jack orders á la carte, including meal planning, cleaning, cooking, and morning routine. Maddy excitedly orders, income, grocery shopping, and lawn mowing to name a few.
Also ordering from the á la carte menu are Desire and Bryce. Both are working full time and are intensely studying the menu options and communicating with each other for what each will choose. The two parent working family requires an overhaul of traditional menu options. They are splitting their meal and even found more options on the back of the menu… Choices Assisted!
Choices Assisted includes:
Grocery delivery, pick up, or meal delivery
Services: lawn care, cleaning, pool maintenance, car, contractor
Personal chef (Yes, this is real and affordable! Definitely check it out.)
Child care: grandparents, nanny, au pair
The list goes on….
Wow, the Choices we can make! As our gender roles change, we have to change with it and choose new menu options. Trying to maintain the traditional model while shifting our roles can be difficult and stressful. We have to keep communication high and share the responsibilities of running the house and home. Trade items, share, or split the meal because there are not enough hours in the day to eat it all!
The beauty of dining at Choices is that you pick what works best for you and your family. Everything on the menu is cooked in the same kitchen from the same ingredients. Traditional, á la carte, and Choices Assisted…one is not better than the other and there is no wrong choice. Society has changed, our roles have changed, and we do not have to stick to the duties that are rooted in our cave-man days! Choose what works for you.
What have you ordered from Choices? Share your personal story below!
