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The Men We Carry in Our Minds

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The Men We Carry in Our Minds
If you ask someone from the early 50’s to compare the gender roles from the past with the gender roles today, they would probably come up with a lot of differences, which is because a lot has changed since then. During the early 50’s, gender roles were simpler, men goes to work and women stays at home. Today, both genders are equal when it comes to their own rights and choices. In the essay “The Men We Carry in Our Minds”, by Scott Russell Sanders, he discusses his own view on the gender roles. Sanders grew up in a lower class environment where men worked hard and labored with their bodies. He states that “The bodies of the men I knew were twisted and maimed” (p.1). He also states how men worked hard and physically suffered from all the responsibilities that had to be done for their families. On the other hand, Sanders shares his view on how women lived easier lives than the men he grew up with.
Sanders view on gender roles is completely based on his own experiences. He clearly shows support and sympathy towards men because he had witness the hard work his own father had to go through just to be able to give his family a better life. Sanders father worked his way out of being a laborer to a white-collar worker. This shaped his perspective that men are progressive and women will always have the same responsibilities, which is to take care of the household. I would say that my view on gender role is different from Sanders. I grew up in an environment similar to Sanders, where the lack of opportunity forced men to explore different possibilities in life. When I was young, my parents got divorced, so my mother had to raise me and my siblings single handedly. Although my father supported us financially, I never really saw how hard he worked, or the kind of work that he had. Being raised by my mother gave me a different perception on gender roles. In the environment I grew up in, women can chose to work if they wish to. My mother had a job when she was raising us,

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