Talk with one man and one woman who are at least sixty years old. Ask both to describe what men and women were like when they were 20 years old. In your journal, discuss differences between gender roles in the United States today and when your interviewees were 20.
Basing my journal on views of a male and female, both 60 years of age, my own view from when I was 20 in 1977, and a current 18 year old, I believe that gender roles have changed greatly since the 1960's. Reviewing each point in time, 1960, 1977 and 2001, it appears that changes in gender roles have evolved as the changes became more socially acceptable.
Today, it is not uncommon for a young woman to ask a man out on a date. However, in the 1960's and 1970's this would have been taboo. The woman would have been considered forward or fast. The same for telephoning, young women did not telephone men to show that they were interested in something more than friendship.
Another interesting change that has evolved is the education of women. In the 1960's, most women would marry right out of high school. There were some who continued on to college, but it was more common for men to continue with their education. Today, more and more women continue their education. Women today are focused on obtaining a college degree and having a career. Marriage and family are put on hold until these personal needs are met. .
Robbins 2.
The gender roles in marriage have changed greatly since the 1960's also. In the 1960's, when a man and woman married, the woman would give up any position she held outside of the home and stay home to maintain the homes" cleanliness, raise the children, keep the grocery shelves stocked, prepare the meals, and do the laundry. It was the man's duty to provide the finances to support the family. Most men felt that if the wife worked outside of the home it was a bad reflection on them personally. Today, it is completely the opposite.