It truly does disgust me of how women are being treated in this country right now. I recently wrote a comment of how excited I was to see the new movie Gran Turismo, but apparently I'm not supposed to like racing because it's a "man's sport" and movie. At least according to one troll. Gee, I wonder what his political party is.
It's a cultural thing I think. Just as there are presumed 'chick flicks' that most guys are not supposed to like, there are movies that most women are not supposed to like. And of course the stereotype usually doesn't hold up as anecdotally evidenced in our household where I like a lot of movies that would be considered 'guy movies' and my husband likes a lot of movies that could be classified 'chick flicks.'
But back before 'gender identification' was a federal offense (or at least a state crime in some places), the American culture evolved from the European culture in which the man was head of the household, provider and protector of the family, and women were the heart of the home, the nurturer and glue that held it together. And because women were the 'weaker sex' men were taught to be protective of them, deferential to them, not to hit or harm them in any way, respect them, not to make them uncomfortable. Which of course naturally did protect women to a great degree but also created a perception that women were not physically or emotionally suited for certain occupations or activities in which gender generally makes no difference.
World War II started changing that back in the 1940's when so many women were needed to step up and do the men's jobs vacated by those who went overseas to fight. We found out "Rosie the riveter" was competent in her job as were those who welded and became machinists and drove trucks etc. When the men came home, most of those women went back home to raise their kids and be that glue that held the family together. But their experience created a new desire for professions outside the home for many women.
It has been a long battle to overcome the cultural barriers but, for the most part, that battle was won.
Most of the artificial barriers are now down for women.
But a few remnants remain such as concepts of 'guy movies' and 'chick flicks.' I don't mind that really because I really like my men to be men and, even though my long and eclectic career has been in jobs traditionally done by men, I really like being a girl.
