If you want to talk about expectations and how they are higher for women....as a woman just walk outside without shaving your legs or armpits. Treat yourself to disgusted remarks and disgusted looks aimed at you because you are a woman and are not adhering to the stereotypical woman image. Kinda hard to walk outside like that anyway, takes a heck o' lot of guts, especially as we are programmed to believe that our worth in society is dependant on how we look. Walk outside as a man with unshaven legs or armpits and notice the difference.
Sorry, but there really is no comparison. As women we are not even allowed our natural bodies, they are considered unsuitable for society and that is really sick. We have to remove 'unsightly' hair, plaster on makeup, cover grey hair, hold in any natural bodily function like farting or burping (which quite frankly can be fricken painful), be underweight. If we don't do these things we don't fit into society. You may say we have a choice...we don't...we do it or we are not tolerated, our femininity is questioned and even our mental state. We are labeled one or more of many really nasty names commonly applied to women who don't adher to society's image of how a woman should be. What she should look like, how much she should weigh, how she should be having children, holding down a career, caring for her appearance, keeping her husband sixually interested in her...the list goes on and on.
Just look at all the adverts on TV. The woman is constantly portrayed cooking and serving their waiting family who are sitting round the table expectantly, women are always cleaning and doing the washing and ironing, always being the parent, having a career, shopping constantly, managing the household, needing to loose weight in spite of the actors shown always being underweight, needing that new makeup to hide those imperfections .... Men are portrayed as the stupid husband who can't do anything or get anything right and just sit on the couch watching TV, being fed their meals and needing caring for.
Neither portrayal is correct or fair, however when you consider it in terms of expectations...women have considerably more. This portrayal of womens supposed 'role' that makes her a 'woman', is prevalent in TV, film, magazines etc... and is enforced by peers.
There are no expectations on men regarding appearance. They can shave or not. They don't feel pressured to apply makeup, cover grey hair. After all, men with grey hair are 'distinguished', women with grey hair are old, past it, no longer fertile..For example...Society laughs indulgantly and tolerantly at the man who is wearing socks or underwear he pulled out of his laundry basket, he is a guy, it is to be allowed. Boys will be boys. Think about a woman doing that and see how the perception is so different.
As for the wage thing, it is by no means equal and while my own experience may seem just one person's experience, it is a LOT more common then you would think.
Firstly in most jobs you are not allowed to discuss your wages with co-workers so you never have a really good idea, at least that has been my experience. I did discuss mine with a male co-worker one quiet evening while working in a store, when I was in my mid twenties. He told me his hourly wage and I was appalled that it was 2 dollars an hour more then mine. Why?.....
Him19 years old
No previous customer service or job experience
High school education
Joined the company one month ago.
Me25 years old
6 years of customer service experience
University education
In my fourth year of working for the company
So why was I paid so much less? I was single, no children, had a better attendance record then my male counterpart and guess who was always available when the boss was desperate for emloyees to cover shifts? I worked many 12 hour shifts for that company.
So before I finish here, let me address the inevitable....
Yes, I do shave my legs and armpits
No, I am not ugly.
Yes, I am heterosixual.
I wear make up (not much though as I prefer natural beauty)
Most importantly, no I am not a 'feminist', I believe that is the term applied to any woman who dares point out any sort of inequality.
No, I don't hate men. I do believe they are subject to unrealistic expectations and stupid stereotypes as well. Just not as much as women.
Ultimately, in my opinion this stereotyping will not change until media changes, given that media dictates so much in our lives. It is not about gender equality, it is about individual equality and the removal of judgement based on race, gender, age, etc...etc...etc....
Women have the "I have boobs" phenomenon. It may sound sixist, but I routinely see women held to LOWER standards and expectations because they are women. A woman does not have to achieve as much or work as hard to get an opportunity in many places as compared to a man. A woman can be promoted having done less than a man. A woman can keep her job even though she does less than a man in the same position. Absent certain physical factors, I don't consider women inferior to men when it comes to most any job duty that might be asked of them, but many employers just don't feel right about expecting women to do what they'd not hesitate to ask of a man.
That is just not true. On the contrary women are considered less capable of doing a job and therefore have a much harder time convincing otherwise.
Men, in contrast, can be held to some insane expectations based on what society thinks defines "manliness." Like a bunch of pubascent teenage boys in the locker room with a ruler sizing each other up, it seems men are always in this subtle competition to prove themselves king of the hill, and if you are deficient in any number of physical attributes or talents, you are viewed as a "momma's boy."
Men's [censored] size is not constantly portrayed by media and peers. Women's briasts are always under discussion, they are sixualized, scrutinized, compared, there are a thousand derogatory words for a woman's briasts. There is absolutely no comparison. Womens briasts are on display for judgement and criticism constantly. Bigger is better, bigger is better.... Media is not flooded with images of male genitalia, on the contrary, it is taboo to show male genitalia. Woman are judged by the size of their breats, even their intellect is judged by this. Their worth is judged by their briasts. briasts are so promenant on a woman's body and so obvious to society, especially when society is obsessed with briasts.