There are many cultural things and traditions that women do or are expected to do. Sometimes, these traditions can be harmful or hold women back.
And many women wish they could change some of these expectations for good. What would you change?
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Someone asked this question on Reddit.
In a post on the Reddit thread called AskWomen, user Glad_Diamond_2103 posed a question. She asked, “Which tradition among women would you like to change?” The thread received many responses.
There were some common themes that kept coming up.
Those who responded pointed out that society holds double standards for women. For example, women are expected to do extra work with things like childcare that men aren’t really expected to do.
The things women wanted to change ranged from daily expectations…
For example, TerribleActive3 said they would change the fact that women are expected to remove hair from their bodies.
While men are expected to have body hair, or at least not encouraged to remove it, most women feel societal pressure to shave their legs, underarms, etc.
To broader cultural traditions surrounding big life events…
As dichotomousbs and many others brought up, women face a lot of pressure and expectations surrounding marriage. They said they don’t like “changing your last name when you get married.”
Many other commenters had a lot to say about marriage.
As Redditor onlytexts explained, “The whole wedding thing. Getting married should not be such a big accomplishment for a woman. It’s okay to celebrate, but it shouldn’t be considered the biggest day of a woman’s life. I have met too many women who were so focused on the party aspect of a wedding that they ignored red flags from their husbands. It’s sad to see how we turned what should be a simple ceremony into a big show.”
Many people wanted a more fair division of labor.
As According_Coyote1078 said in the thread, “The ‘housewife’ stereotype. If I work, too, we’re splitting the household chores 50/50. I’m not doing everything. This is your house as much as mine, so you better pull your weight. We can hire someone or get a robot vacuum; I don’t care, but I’m not doing everything. If I wanted to do everything myself, I’d just live alone.”
The issue of unfair household labor has been prevalent for decades.
This comment, and others like it, discuss the fact that while many women have been in the workforce for decades, they are still expected to take on the role of housewife at the same time.
This phenomenon is known as the Second Shift and was coined by author Arlie Russell Hochschild.
Others wanted women to be more supportive of one another.
In a world where women are often pitted against one another, commentators like yuureirikka wanted to see women come together instead. They said, “I would like to eliminate the ‘not like other girls’ phase entirely.”
Beauty standards are a big issue many people want to change.
Multiple comments surrounded societal norms around beauty for women. Most women feel they have to look a certain way.
Some people said they don’t think it’s fair that women are expected to stay looking young forever.
Some people wonder why many cultures pass the father’s last name to the child, not the mother’s.
Greedy_Principle_342 says, “Giving children the father’s last name. Women go through 9 months of suffering and then have to push the baby out. Why the hell would the baby get HIS last name? My son has mine and all future children will have mine. It’s a hill I’ll die on.”
They have a good point!
Often, women enforce these traditions onto other women. It’s not just men.
Redditor WrestlingWoman said, “That woman has to be the one to cook. My mother couldn’t fathom that my brother cooked after work since ‘it should be his wife’s job.’ She came around when I met my husband. He works as a cook and also cooks at home.”
The expectation to have kids was another tradition that probably needs to change.
While choosing to have children is great, it’s not right for everyone.
As CutePandaMiranda explained, “I wish all young girls could grow up learning and realizing that they’re allowed to have a choice in the matter and that it’s okay to have kids just as much as it’s okay to not have kids.”
Overall, people want women to do what they want.
Many of the comments mentioned that women and men are often forced into roles by society. It would likely benefit everyone if people could choose what’s best for them!
What traditions and expectations for women would you want to change?
Most people feel pressure to do or act in certain ways because of their culture, and this is often impacted by gender.
What would you want to change about expectations for women? This also applies to men. What would you change about expectations for men?
