As discussed in previous blog posts, I personally feel like and believe that the family is the most important unit and a properly functioning family brings many benefits to not just the children, but also to the parents and to society. This week’s discussion in class has been very interesting as it always is, but I was especially intrigued because we talked about gender and family life. Gender is a topic that has been gaining a lot of controversy and debate within this past decade. Things that used to be frowned upon before are now accepted and even celebrated.

            Each and every one of us are so different, not just in the way we look, but also how we are mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and biologically. One of my biggest and most meaningful takeaways from this week’s lesson and discussion was the increased appreciation of the differences of men and women. In the world that we live in today, there are so many loud voices and I feel like there’s only two extreme ends of the spectrum and no balance. So many people today want to talk about equality but nobody wants to talk about the strengths that everyone has, which divides everyone but not allow anyone to feel appreciated.

            Men and women are so interestingly different biologically. I believe that we were created differently because we each have such different roles. In a traditional family, the man would be the one who goes out and work, who does what he can to provide for whatever his family’s needs are. We talked about how everyone is different and there certainly are differences or exceptions, but that normally, men can be more aggressive, have more spatial awareness, normally think more in a “box” (we tend to focus on just one thing at a time which means we do not connect one thought with another as easily), and have a natural instinct to go out and work and provide. These natural tendencies and characteristics help us prepare for and carry out the traditional father roles more easily.

            On the other hand, women are normally more compassionate, are focused more on relationships with others, gravitate more towards children and have a nurturing nature, are able to think out of the “box” which means their thoughts are always interconnected so they can make connections with one thing and another easily. These natural tendencies and characteristics help them be better mothers who are able to take care of and nurture children. This also means that women normally hold people together, which help the family bond and helps strengthen relationships between family members or people in general.

            As mentioned earlier, there are exceptions or situations where roles in a family are switched where women might go out and are the main source of income in a family or both parents work, helping to provide for the family, etc. No matter what the situation is, men and women are undoubtedly naturally and biologically different. Is one gender better than the other? Definitely not. I strongly believe that both men and women are equal. We each have strengths that help us excel in different areas. This is why I appreciate marriage so much because I find it so amazing and beautiful when a man and a woman come together, set aside differences and weaknesses, and work together so their strengths shine, and start a family together.

There are so many ways for us to look at another person and feel like society is unfair and that we should do this or that to make things better, which is true to a certain point, but I believe that if we focus on strengths rather than differences, the world would be a better place for all of us.