I thought the book did a good job of exploring various cultures and their views on gender. American culture is so predominately patriarchal that it was interesting to read about other cultures. I thought the !Kung seemed to have a good balance of power between the men and women. One can see how other norms work in different regions, I think the a problem of gender inequality is that once norms are established it is extremely hard to change the norms. The UN's Conferences on Women are good examples of this. Many consider the United Nations to be a powerful, influential organization, yet it is difficult for them to promote women in politics and equality around the world. I think in order to reach equality, the media, education systems, and powerful leaders of a culture all need to agree that this goal should be reached.
Gender norms can easily be seen by just exploring one aspect of a culture, such as advertisements. Ads are created to promote a product in an appealing manner. If the majority of the public finds the ads appealing, then the majority of the public may copy the actions in the ad or buy the product. I thought the book did a good job of pointing out the differences between ads. Oftentimes, ads are just something we look at for a few seconds and then move on with our lives. But it seems as if the pictures can truly influence how we behave or what we purchase. It would be interesting to find a study of how appealing men and women found ads portraying traditional roles versus unconventional roles.
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