The Special One
You would think that in this century people wouldn’t care whether they had a son or a daughter. Yes things are changing, but there’s still a big group who prefer one sex more than the other. Once people find out they are pregnant, their first thought is, “Will it be a boy or a girl?” This question shows the relevance of the gender in the situation given, even before making a question about the health of the baby. Based on my observations, there are a few soon to be parents that will say the sex doesn’t matter; the only thing that matters is the health of the new born. It’s somewhat comprehensible if you want to know ahead of time; you can make a choice on the name of the baby, the clothes and toys to purchase, or how to decorate the baby’s room. But then again, you can always decorate the room a neutral color, neutral color clothes, with unisex toys. And sadly, not all, but majority of parents would prefer a son than a daughter.
Most of parents believe the sex of the baby is important. Fathers tend to make “father and son” plans ahead of time with his unborn son. The father will plan football games, basketball, and working on a car. Fathers will also decide on the type of university the son will study in, and the type of career. It’s sad to say, but most parents believe their son has a higher chance of becoming successful in any career than their daughters. And once the son becomes successful, he must become the leader of the family. Some of the mothers that believe in this, will try and make the daughters believe the same. Especially those who come from a religious Hispanic family, your brother tends to be the bread maker, the special one, and in their eyes the woman is his servant. For centuries men were seen as the strong ones, physically and mentally, women were the weak ones. This relates to what Genevieve Vaughan asserts in, “For-Giving: A Feminist Criticism of Exchange, Chapter 5. ‘The Concept of Man.’” Genevieve utters that woman have appeared to lack the “human” characteristics that men carry, so according to some people, a woman cannot be at the same level of a man. Because the man can do more, a woman must show appreciation by serving and pleasing the man. This view is much stronger in a religious home, the superiority of the male gender over the female one is based in biblical principles. It’s harder to escape the gender preference in an environment that is set on believing God made your brother better than you.
Even though gender roles are less defined than before, the denial of support towards the daughters follows the idea that the chances of getting a job are minimal. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor market is not as unequal as those people think; women’s share of the labor market was 46.8% in 2013.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “Digest of Education Statistics (2013)”, since 1982, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men, since 1987 women have earned more master’s degrees than men, and since 2006 women have earned more doctorate degrees than men. This indicator shows that female gender is developing and rising in a system where they supposedly could not pursue their dreams. Women are technically accomplishing more, so in reality which sex is the special one?
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