FD1 Hyorim KIm _Female Experiences Gender Role Traumas

Hyorim Kim
1st February 2010
FD1




Unlike women who lived during the 1960s, women now days have a variety of choices as to how they choose the life they desire to live. Women are no longer the people who stay at home, take care of kids, and serve her husband. Instead, women have freedom to move, act, and speak their perspectives freely. Female gender role in society has changed drastically from the past as there are many female competing and cooperating with men. It seems as if women’s lives are seemingly better as they are having equal rights like men. However, female gender roles have been more complicated and ambiguous. Today females seemingly look as if they are happier and free than before, however, in reality, they do not have real freedom for themselves as they are affected by the visible and invisible variables of stereotypes, cultural influence, and family traditions toward female gender roles. [THESIS] Therefore, women experience trauma between adolescence and menopause in adjusting to their gender roles.[THESIS]

Adolescence is a transitional stage in human development as children prepare themselves to think and behave like adults. This transitional period is an important phrase for boys and girls to establish their gender role identities and so forth eligibly organize their values. Most women experience gender role trauma during their adolescence period. In the text book, Mary Pipher, psychologist and family therapist, claims that “Adolescent girls experience a conflict between their autonomous selves and their need to be females.”(428) and she also states many girls are having problem with gender role trauma throughout her cases. The adolescence transitional stage for females is chaotic whereas females during their preadolescence are very comfortable with their gender roles.

Dr. Pipher mentions preadolescent girls are interested in everything and do not distinguish things intentionally. In other words, preadolescent girls do not consider their gender roles. Dr. Pipher said, “They can be androgynous, having the ability to act adaptively in any situation regardless of gender role constraints.”(426) For example, during my preadolescent and adolescent period, I was a tomboy who liked to compete in sports with the boys. As a result, I had many male friends than female friends. During my adolescence in middle school and high school, I was very confused about myself. My interest and passion at the time for sports solely came to an end when I won a tennis tournament at school expecting compliments from my father yet ironically my father scold me. I was shocked and even more confused as he threw away the trophy and said that “Women are not supposed be athletic and such trophy is useless for you because you are not a boy.” Through this incident, I encountered my first gender role awareness. I had a real hard time adjusting because what I truly believed was right for me was not the best for me. Therefore, I started to change myself to behave more like a girl by doing more feminine things such as wearing pink. Therefore, I disciplined myself to change during high school impress my parents and to be more like a girl. This was my gender role trauma during my adolescence.

Pipher states three reasons that cause the factors for female gender role trauma during the adolescence. First, adolescent girls undergo various changes with their body shapes due to hormones. This influences their way of thinking as they contemplate with their identity. Second, culture, stereotypes, and media make girls sensitive and vulnerable toward roles and appearances of female. Third, girls do not communicate so often with their family as they are bond to stick with their friends who share common concerns for support.

Kimberely Malott, a fellow classmate mentions that “we will actually win the battle when it comes finding one’s identity” which implies that it is also a natural process to feel such emotions during the transition, however, we can mild the stress that we encounter in our own personal lives through parental support, education, and ethically and morally accepted media.

Work cite

Pipher, Mary. "Saplings in the Storm." Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. 6th edition, Eds. Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger, New york: Pearsin-Longman, 2009. 425-432


Mallot, Kimberly. "Causes and Solutions for Gender Role Trauma." Online posting. 29 January 2010 Laulima discussion. 31 January 2010 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/postal/site/KAP.33517.201030]