Today, we scoured the halls of the 1st and 2nd floor, berating students and educators alike with our feminism questionnaires. Many of our interviewed revealed some truly fascinating results and answers. This extra credit post will be an opportunity to share responses of interest and more importantly, what we found particularly interesting about these responses. Be sure to share the question that prompted the response as well.
By presenting our collective data, we can witness the variety of answers we received as well as analyze our research for notable phenomena and trends.
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When asked whether men were equal to women in America, half said yes, the other half said no. Those who said no all mentioned that men were paid more than women and that there were certain occupations that were more difficult for women to obtain. It was interesting to see how most people acknowledged this as a concern. In terms of the responsibilities of a father compared to those of a mother, responses included that the father was the one who took home the money, while the mother took care of the children. However, everyone that answered also said that although this is the general idea of the father and the mother, that it is definitely not always the case. Most of the people interviewed said that males are generally better at Physical Education while females were more creative, but also said afterwards that it really depends on the person. When asked whether a man should pay on a date, all said that it would depend on the situation and that it was traditional for the man to pay, but not obligatory. Every person that was asked whether it was more difficult to be a man or a woman said that it was more difficult to be a woman because women have higher expectations and have to take care of their physical appearances. It seems that most people have similar ideas concerning gender roles. I've found that although the traditional roles of men and women are still alive, they are not so rigid as they were perhaps a few decades ago. People acknowledge these stereotypes, but they also know that they are simply not that important and that men and women can (and do) step out of their traditional gender roles.
ReplyDeleteThe survey results I received seemed to be vary slightly but overall circle around the same ideas. Of the three one was a girl and she seemed to share the same ideas as her male counterparts. All three were heavily influenced by their parents decision. They would raise their children as they were raised and share the responsibilities as they've seen their parents do over the years. There is no doubt that the parents affect the way a generation would think but I was shocked by how willing they were to comply with their families rules over this issue. It seemed like they didn't see this as much of a problem in our current society, even the girl. The men also felt they had it harder in society as they are.expected to very well in life as opposed to women who aren't really forced to as they have a backup decision of just getting married and living off the husband. However the girl felt it was harder to be a female as they are always sexualized and never really thought as equal.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to me that despite the fact that the majority of surveyors (both genders) believe that men and women should be equal, their collective responses perpetuate stereotypes on both sexes. The responses to should the man pay and why was that that he should. The reasons varied from chivalry to it shows he's not a bum. Likewise, the girls in Stuyvesant were likely to do better in creative subject like water coloring while the men were better academically. Also interesting was how during my interviews I would often have to reiterate that I would like to know their opinions and not society's because their responses would often drift to "society thinks..." or "people think ..."
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked my questions the responses were typically quite generic. To quote one of the people I Interviewed, "Yeah I think women and men need to strive for equality and get rid of rape culture and all that b.s. " But that is something anyone would tell you that when being interviewed as it is the answer that everyone should have. What I found interesting though was when I asked "What do you think is the difference between the male teachers and the female teachers at stuy" The response I solicited was as follows, "If there's one thing I noticed its that the guy teachers are typically nicer to the hotter females, I know a girl who passed a class and only showed up a handful of times because she didn't actually care about it." I thought this was interesting and I would like to see more information on this in the form of a study.
ReplyDeleteI instead of questioning a student found a person of staff whom I had never encountered before. This staff member was male but I found no problem in asking questions about feminism and gender equality, he on the other hand seemed confused. When I entered his office I asked if he could spare a few minutes of his time answering my questions. He was polite and said he would be happy to help and continued on to ask what the topic was pertaining to. When I informed him that out class had been discussing feminism and that I wanted to ask about the equality amongst teachers he seemed confused and responded with "Why don't you go as a female teacher then?'. I was shocked by this answer. The fact that just because the topic was based more towards females this teacher felt because he was a male he was unequipped to answer the same questions was confusing to me. Was he as a man not able to comprehend the ideas of think from a possible female perspective? Or was he simply uncomfortable with what his response to some of my questions might be? None the less I found his answer to be meticulous and carefully worded he sounded more like a politician then a teacher. Though this comment was made before I could even ask a question it said more to me about his views towards the subject then any of his answers did. It made me wonder if the highly educated adults in this world are thinking in this way will we ever be able to remove ourselves from the mindset of man vs. women and help each other succeed or are we destined to be two teams playing against each other.
ReplyDeleteOriginally, I asked a sophomore I knew in the halls. She was sitting in a group, and I sat down in it, effectively becoming a part of it. I asked who has it harder: men or women? The group, female dominated, overwhelmingly answered female; although the lone male (not me) answered male. In response to his answer, the females protested, citing their periods, discrimination, and a whole lot of stuff that I lost in the storm of answers. But, in that storm, I found insight: silencing. In the past, was the feminist movement effectively shut out by a majority in power rather than population? And now, do men have it harder because being anti-feminist is not a majority among those in power?
ReplyDeleteMy mother, a self-identifying feminist, told me a feminist is someone who "does what they want to do." I think her notion of being a feminist isn't clear because it isn't. My grandmother, one of the first female pharmacists, actually believes men are superior to women in a lot of ways--but not in school. Is she a feminist? My mom said yes.
I think the most valuable insight I got from all my interviews is: femiinism, even with its lengthy history, is still an evolving movement.
When I asked a teacher and a girl about the responsibilities of a father and a mother, both of them replied that they had the same responsibilities. They thought that it did not matter which one worked or took care of the children, as long as it was done. I expected people to tell me that they would raise their daughter differently than how they would raise their son due to society's standards. However, surprisingly, they told me that they would raise their daughter the same way. The girl explained how she would not mind giving her daughter action figures and blocks to play with. She would not allow her daughter to play violent video games, but she would not allow her son to either. Both of them stressed that as their children got older though, they would become more protective of their daughter because girls are more vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how, as I asked more people, I got mixed results on who should pay during dates. One guy said that since it is considered the norm, the guy should pay on the dates. A girl said that the guy should pay on the first date for chivalry's sake, but not every time because the women doesn't need to be dependent on the man. Another girl said that the two people should split the cost every time.
I did a quick Google search of 'teen chat sites' and went to one of the first five that came up. I asked who would like to participate within the survey and most people said 'me'. After posting the questions, one participant who identified as a feminist delivered a response that seemed to support gender equality. They went so far as to include "nonbinary" persons within the discussion. Another member decided that while equality between males and females was alright, including "nonbinary" persons was too much. The original responder attempted to correct this individual, but then the other person backed off.
ReplyDeleteI say that the original responder seemed to support gender equality because while they had great ideals, they did not go with an offensive approach in correcting the other individual. It led me to wonder about what an anonymous user on Tumblr messaged me. "All men would have to actually grow up most of them never do, plus education and media are not really helping." Is it just the man's fault that gender inequality exists because we never grow up?
I interviewed many people of different genders and ages and asked them "If a man and a woman go on a date, should the man or woman pay?". All of them answered that the man should pay (or at least for the first date) to show that he was generous and caring or just based on the principle of chivalry. They did say that woman should occasionally pay to take off some of the financial burden on the man and so that the woman would not constantly rely on the man. Every interviewee also believed that women had it harder because society favors men in almost every aspect of life: work, the home, and even in public! What I found interesting was that women want to be treated equally and the only way to do so was to prove their worth by working harder than men but if they expect the man to pay for most dates or ask a girl out, they are just helping society oppress women and portraying them as dependent and inferior beings. Unfortunately, I believe that men should pay for most dates as well so I suppose I am also contributing to the putting down of women.
ReplyDeleteI interviewed a few students, 3 boys and 1 girl specifically. My first question was to ask them for their definition of feminism. My first response was that, "Feminism is the letting your woman out of the kitchen for 5 minutes." Obviously the student was joking, but the fact that one would associate women and kitchen/household duties reflect he opinion about women. Another response I received is that its ironic that women want to be equal to men and yet the man still pays for the first date, clothes, etc. I heard a lot of double standard about people and judging males vs females. I heard the "girl sleeps around a lot, shes a sl*t and if a guy sleeps around a lot, he's hailed as a god" and "women showing emotions or crying means shes the victim and if a man cries, hes weak." Of course these are a tad bit exaggerated, but they fueling our opinion of the equality between the two genders.
ReplyDeleteOut of all of the people i interviewed, I got the same response when I asked them what classes a male student would most likely succeed in and what classes female students would most likely succeed in. They all said that the male students were mostly likely to succeed in math and science, while the females were mostly likely to succeed in art, literature, and history. 1 of the students I interviewed is considered "smart" and was accepted into an Ivy league college, while the other student I interviewed was left back one year and still refuses to go to class. Their reasons however, were very different. The Ivy league bound student used personal experiences in his classes to say which subjects men were most likely to succeed at, while the other didnt have a reason and just said the response came to him instinctively. Although some people will consider one to be smart and the other to be less smart, it was interesting to know that they still have the same stereotypical views on what men and women can succeed at.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while to find a student who actually cared about feminism. Most people did not take the questions seriously. They made rude comments about women and many of their friends around them just laughed. But those who answered the questions seriously were feminist. One of the questions I asked was "If a man took a women on a date, who should pay?" A student said that the man should pay first but the women should also pay after a couple of dates. I found that interesting because letting the women pay shows a lot of respect for them. It shows women aren't just children, and they can pay for themselves. I got the same answer from my mother. She says women want to show the man that they are able to take care of themselves, receive a salary, and pay for their own dinners. Another question I asked was what subject do men prefer and what subjects do women prefer. Every student I questioned said that men are more interested in math and science, while women loved English and social studies. I found that very interesting because in my family, my mother is an accountant while my dad is a very talkative man. My family refutes this stereotype, as well as my other friend's parents do. It seems that the men I asked told me that women were better at English because it was the opposite of what they said men were interested in. They believed that men and women should not like the same topics, though many women now are seen with jobs pertaining to math.
ReplyDeleteLike Austin mentioned, there was a problem about people not caring about gender roles or feminism. When I tried to interview people, I was received with "Oh… is this the gender role/feminism thing? Like four people asked me about this…" I could see why they would be annoyed; honestly, I would be too, but it seemed to affect their answers. I was given almost all one word answers, when asked to elaborate, they had a difficult time explaining anything. Since they didn't take me seriously, some of their answers felt as if they were just kidding around. "How do you feel about abortion rights?" The answer was "Bad." At this point I realized I should probably just interview someone else. I asked a male and a female about what they though feminism was, and the girl answered "a fight for equality" while the guy answered "female qualities." While the girl believes it is an aim for both genders to be equal, the guy sees it as making female qualities more prominent. However, that doesn't seem correct, after all, society has given females these "female qualities" which is why we're seen in such a way. I don't see feminism as accentuating these qualities, rather, we should be stepping away from them.
ReplyDeleteMy first attempt to interview a teacher for this assignment was both a failure and a success. It was a failure int that I didn't get to actually interview the teacher but a success in that the situation would prove to represent some of the false generalizations about feminism that exist today. I asked Ms. Maggio, a biology teacher, if she would partake in an interview for an English assignment. She agreed, without knowledge of the actual assignment. I proceeded to ask my first question. "How would you define feminism," I asked her. With those words she gave a sour look. "Why are you asking me this?" she replied, as if my question had offended her. I was left speechless. Her face came to a crooked smile. "Why don't you ask someone from the humanities department?" she suggested brusquely, and then disappeared into her office. I was left without an interview, but with a fluster of thoughts. It was interesting to me how a female teacher believed that feminism was not her problem because she taught science. She believed that social progression was something only a humanities teacher should concern themselves with, as if feminism was something idealogical. Her immediate irritability of the sound of the word "feminism" suggests the shallow understanding of the movement that affects many members of an uninformed society of people who believe feminism is something radical and distant.
ReplyDeleteA student I interviewed happened to be a student of the Womens' Voices class. He was very open-minded about the role of women in society today. He described feminism as the belief of women's equality so that it is on the same level to that of men. He also recognizes that there are distinct roles today for both mothers and fathers: The father goes out and supports the family financially, yet occasionally spends times with the family. However, the mother's job is to just stay at home to care for the children and make food for the family. When asked if it was harder to be a woman or a woman, he replied that "it is harder to be a woman." He explained that the media puts a lot of focus onto a woman's body size, look and attractiveness. While "ugly" men can be successful, women have trouble finding job opportunities in our society. In a related note, the student I interviewed noticed that guys are more likely to excel in math and science subjects, while girls are more likely to excel in biology and art subjects. Although he reported subjects male and female students are more likely to succeed at, he could not give a clear explanation as to why this was so. The answers I received during this interview provided insight into how some members of our society generally view gender roles.
ReplyDeleteFor the teacher interview, I interviewed Mr. Econome. He is a biology teacher at Stuyvesant and he has a 7 year old son. The first question I asked him was "Would you raise a daughter the same as you would raise a son", and he gave a pretty interesting answer. He explained that for the first few years of her life, he would probably treat her no differently than if she was a boy. But he realizes after a certain time, like around puberty, he has to subject her to society's view of a girl. She has to realize the clothes she's expected to wear, the way she's supposed to act, and acknowledge her attraction to boys. The fact that he feels pressured to subject her to society's ideas is a prime example of how there is such little progress in women's rights, he explains. He feels he has to, or else she won't be able to succeed. When I asked students on the 2nd floor about the same question, they answered that they have to recognize the daughter as a girl after a while too. OTher questions I asked people on the 2nd floor were "if a man and woman go on a date, who should pay" and "which subjects are female students more likely to succeed at". Most of the guys' responses to the date question was that they felt they should pay at first but they should split after a while. The girls' responses was that the guy should pay because its the etiquette. Most students said that boys are better at math, computer science and science while girls are better at art and english. These answers I received showed the problems that we have in society today in terms of perception and ideas.
ReplyDeleteWhen I interviewed my environmental science teacher, he was a true advocate for feminism. He felt comfortable answering my questions and especially showed compassion for how women have a harder time in life than men do. He started off by making a joke about how it was okay that he was going bald, but if a woman was to do the same, they would receive weird looks. He also noted that he was for abortion being the woman’s decision because he knew his wife was in a lot of pain during her pregnancy. From an environmental viewpoint he also does not want the population expanding so he would encourage abortion clinics and feels that the more women that has access to this option, the better. It was also interesting to see that he responded without hesitation when I asked him who should pay for the bill if a man and a woman go out on a date. He replied “Oh they should both pay for what they ate because otherwise the man is showing some kind of dominance over the woman.” Another student overheard and asked “What about chivalry?” and Mr. Citron promptly replied “Oh chivalry is dead, it doesn’t exist anymore, men just want to be seen as strong and dominant.” I found it very interesting that he was the only person I interviewed that thought this way. But he continued to explain that if the male paid for everything, it would show to the woman that she was his property, and that there was some ownership over her. His response made me question my perception of male “kindness” when they offer to pay. Are they doing it because society wants them to, in order to prove their male dominance or are they doing it out of the goodness of their hearts? And what am I supporting if I let males pay for something we both shared?
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