Nancy Chodorow's argument is unique and especially applicable in today's time. Chodorow made several compelling arguments in her essay but the one that struck me the most was the one she made about the relationship between societal expectations and gender. Although improvements have certainly been made, women are still expected to make self sacrifices to take care of their families. Personally, I think that this expectation sets women back greatly. Often times, women are looked down upon if they decide to pursue a career instead of a family. Men are also looked down upon if they decide to raise a family instead of pursue a career. These expectations are toxic in today's society. They turn parenting into a competition instead of an experience based on wholehearted love.
Although these expectations are bad for society, society has mad substantial progress. 100 years ago it was practically unheard of for a woman to have a high profile job and a man was viewed as a bum if he chose to stay home with his family. Now, I know men who take work off to raise their infant children so their wives can go back to their job. Women are encouraged to pursue the career they want and they are encouraged to consider fields that are typically dominated by men. The playing field is becoming much more level. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. In order to change the traditional and outdated parenting narrative, our society must move past the stereotypes and expectations that have shut us down in the past.
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