Gender double standards are everywhere and a Reddit thread is bringing up many of the infuriating ones. It asks, “What are some things that are socially acceptable for a man to do but frowned upon when a woman does it?” Thousands of responses have come in and these are some of the best.
- "Being dedicated to your work and, as a result, missing time with your kids."
- "Letting your hair go naturally gray before you’re very old."
- "Bragging about how many people you’ve slept with."
- "Having body hair."
- "Frowning in public or even failing to smile all the time. My husband was shocked when I told him how often men tell me to smile when I'm just going about my business."
- "Not wanting to have children. If you’re a woman who has decided she doesn't want children, people will likely call you lonely and selfish. They'll assume you’re wasting your life because apparently all women are here for is breeding."
- "Eating that next slice of pizza and other 'food shaming' things. The number of times I've sat in a meeting debating with myself over how I'll be judged for having another slice or a second serving of lunch is just sad."
- "Being the primary or sole breadwinner. I was making more money than my ex and childcare was so expensive, so we decided that my ex could stay home while I worked. People were blown away by our decision."
- "Not wanting to get married or choosing to be single in general. I can't tell you how many times I've heard women be asked, 'when are you going to find a nice man?'"
- "Being a fan of sci-fi, fantasy, or geeky stuff in general. As a woman, you usually have to defend or justify yourself for it, and you'd better be prepared for follow-up questions"
- "'Dad bods.' It gets me so worked up that people celebrate the whole idea of a dad bod. Meanwhile, women — the ones who actually go through the body trauma of pregnancy and childbearing — are shamed for having a 'mum tum.'"
- "Not knowing how to properly care for your child. When a dad doesn’t know how to change a diaper people think it’s funny or understandable, but if a mom didn’t know how to change a diaper? People would lose their minds."
Source: Reddit
Talk Back:
- There’s no male equivalent for resting b*tch face, is there? But guys don’t get told to “smile!”
- I always thought it was strange that a man who has been with multiple partners sexually in their lives are a stud while women with the same number are called sl_ts. Double standard.
- On the other hand, men of my generation are expected to be a certain way including knowing how to fix stuff, working outside and taking the lead. So double standards there too?