Gender trauma, does it exist?

Lisa Rodrigues
September 6, 2011
RD1
Gender Trauma, does it exist?

     Between adolescence and menopause, women experience trauma in adjusting to their gender roles. But does this transitional trauma last a lifetime? Mary Pipher believes it does “Something is happening. Adolescence has always been hard, but it’s harder now because of cultural changes in the last decade. The protected place in space and time that we once called childhood has grown shorter.” (354) [Thesis] For some women adolescence is very traumatic, but for many others they go on and live a normal life. If women are so traumatized would there be equal opportunities for women in work, voting, and sports? Women are no longer the weak, timid sex. Women have excelled socially and economically. [Thesis]
     “By late high school most girls are stronger and the winds are dying down. Some of the worst problems – cliques, a total focus on look and struggles with parents – are on the wane.”(352). Reflecting on my adolescent years, I recall being detached from my parents. They didn’t understand what I was going through. They didn’t understand the peer pressure, the need to dress like everyone else even though we didn’t have the money to do so. They didn’t understand that I wanted to be with the cool kids and not have a curfew like everyone else. They said black and I called it white. It wasn’t until after my graduation that I became close to them. I realized that I didn’t have all the answers to everything, the world is huge. I had no future as I decided to take a year off from school to work. However, getting an office job wasn’t as easy as I thought. I relied on my parents for advice. The one thing I rejected, I now needed. If you asked me during my adolescent years if I was being traumatized, I would’ve answered yes. Ask me now, and the answer is no.
     “Over the past few decades, Americans have made great strides in accepting and adjusting to new definitions of gender roles. Part of the cause is the increased number of women in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, white men (who once dominated the workplace) now account for about 45percent of all workers. White women and women of color make up 47 percent of the workplace. In 1995, 76 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 54 worked outside the home, up from 50 percent in 1970.” Women are no longer stereotyped as housewife. They are in they are working outside of the home. They may be an automachinc, teach, executive, entrepreneur, doctor, lawyer, you name it, the list goes on. But their work doesn’t stop there; they also take care of the family, do the housework. They also take the kids to their practices and games and shop for household goods.
     “ Gender role trauma is caused by the pure belief in many people throughout our country and the world that either woman are inferior or superior to men depending on who you talk to. Feminists believe that women are equal, if not better than men most of the time, and many people go against that belief that men are the superior gender.
I believe this trauma has been caused from the earlier and earlier generations and people have still stuck with it. It still seems to make more sense that the man works and make the money, while the female stays at home and cooks and cleans around the house. This is obviously not true for all cases but this is what causes gender role trauma. The common belief that females are not as capable as males. “ I disagree with Max. I don’t believe women feel inferior to men. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be a lot of women in high ranking positions.
     A solution to breakdown the gender role trauma is to follow what Sacred Heart’s has implemented. “We're trying to break the barriers of girls entering into these fields and motivating them and encouraging them and potentially widening their horizons," she said. While the girls are in their workshops, adolescent psychologist Emma Pavich will conduct a workshop designed to help parents raise competent, confident and caring daughters. "She's so welcoming and so practical in the strategies that she gives to the parents that they really leave with the hope they'll be able to get through adolescence with their daughters," Hamilton said.” I’ve worked with quite a few women that graduated from an all girl’s school and they have unbelievable confidence, they’ve excelled to high positions due to their quick thinking and ability to come up with solutions to work smarter, harder and faster.



Pipher, Mary. "Saplings in the Storm." Krueger, Gary Goshgarian & Kathleen. Dialogues. n/a: Longman, 2011. 352-354

Gender roles, Information about Gender roles
http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/8/Gender-roles.html#ixzz1XFH8RaTc

Shapiro, Treena. "Girls Gather to Break Stereotype." 13 Jan. 2005. HonoluluAdvertiser.com 13 Jan. 2005 .

Babylon, Max "Gender Role Trauma"  2 Sept 2011.  Laulima.Hawaii.edu/discussion and private messages