Content area
Full Text
Gender Roles Discussed on the Armenian Radio Hour of NJ: Women, Men, Girls and Boys What is your role?
Once again, the Armenian Radio Hour of New Jersey pioneers and leads the community in discussions of innovative and relevant issues.
Dr. Anny Bakalian, a sociologist at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, and the author of From Being to Feeling Armenian discusses "Gender Roles in the Armenian Community" on the Armenian Radio Hour of New Jersey on Sunday.
January 14, 2001. Dr. Bakalian who has been teaching gender roles for twelve years, shared her views with the listening audience of the greater Armenian community of NY/NJ.
In yet another live call-in show, Dr. Bakalian explained the traditional roles of women and men, girls and boys in the Armenian community and how they play out today in the 21st century. Dr. Bakalian explained the dominant role of men in any patriarchal society, such as the Armenian community. In fact, she said, children are conditioned from young age to grow into their gender roles. "Children mimic what they see around them." And, what they see is their mother in the kitchen, and their father who is usually the final decision-maker or the one who drives the family car on Sundays, she explained.
Addressing a caller's question Dr. Bakalian spoke of different roles of married and unmarried women in the community. She explained that married women gain a higher form of respect and stature in the community. This is because, in the past, women needed a husband for economic security and social position. Unmarried women were a burden on their paternal kin. Additionally, motherhood was a sacred role for women, which came with marriage. Today, young women are pressured to get married in order to carry on the traditional culture; after all, a woman's rightful place in the community is as a wife and mother.
Dr. Bakalian said that he conditioning starts at home as soon as a baby is born. Mothers tend to clean up, cook for or do the laundry for their children, especially their sons. She illustrated her point with the case of a 26-year-old young man who makes a good living and is still living at home.
The issue is that his...