women's culture

Women’s Culture

                Women have always had differences from men.  Women naturally evolved over the changing times to perform certain duties and fulfill certain roles in life.  A “women’s culture” developed in the nineteenth century, that emphasized “housework, child care, the servicing of men, the care of the elderly,” and the maintenance of family life (Leonardo, 2009, p. 385).  This women’s culture extends even to today, because women are still the ones who maintain kinship ties through various means that have changed over the years. 

In the 1800s, the concept of "women's sphere" involved women gaining control of the household because men were working away from home.  The sphere was the home and all the work associated with it, including household chores and raining children.  Women had absolute authority over the household.  Women gained value because they were being recognized as the crucial source of maternal affection and family values.  The sphere also enabled women to have long-term, supportive, and empathetic friendships with other women (Woloch, 2006).  Women could finally share their thoughts and feelings with other women who understood and truly cared.  With their new power within the home, women began expressing their right to refuse sexual advances and limit the number of children they had (Woloch, 2006).  This was the beginning of the more modern culture of women today.

Women today have mastered the work of kinship, mostly because they have been the gender considered responsible for maintaining kinship ties.  Working on kinship ties utilizes various methods of connection, including visits, letters, phone calls, presents, greeting cards, and the organization of holiday gatherings (Leonardo, 2009).  As the female head of my household for the past ten years, I have taken on the responsibility of maintaining kinship ties as a matter of course.  It never crossed my mind to not provide this service for my family, and sometimes it does take much of my time.  I am the person who is expected to organize birthday parties for my kids, help my mom with holiday plans, send occasional greeting cards, do the shopping for birthday and holiday presents, and keep in touch with extended family members through various means such as social networking.  I also try to make regular visits to my parents and grandparents in order to keep up my family’s relationships with them.

Within the women’s culture, women have taken on the added responsibility of retaining kinship ties with extended family members.  This includes cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.  Women are the ones who arrange for the elderly relatives to be placed in nursing homes if the family has no room.  Women are the ones who visit these relatives in the nursing homes.  Basically, women are expected to be in control of any and everything that pertains to kin.

References

Leonardo, M. (2009). The female world of cards and holidays. Gender in cross-cultural

                perspective (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Woloch. N. (2006). Women and the American experience: a concise history 2006 (5th ed).