Gender roles, as defined by Wikipedia is a set of perceived behavioural norms associated particularly with males or females, in a given social group or system. Different cultures and traditions impose different expectations from males and females. Over the past few decades, Canada has made great strides in accepting and adjusting to different meanings of gender roles. My cultural values differ significantly from European and Caucasian norms; therefore it is important to understand different populations to understand their impact on gender roles.

I believe the strongest influences on a person are perceived gender is parents. Our parents are our first teachers and hold very traditional ideas on how males and females behaviours should be especially in today’s society. Parents treat their infant son and infant daughters differently. They react more quickly to their daughter’s cries than to their son. They also tend to hug and pay more attention to with their daughters while trying out new things such as sport activities with their son. We as children look up to them as positive role models but sometimes parents can serve as negative role models as well. For example, in the story “Everyone Talked Loudly in Chinatown” is an example of how Lin’s parents viewed it as wrong to date a white boy she liked in the story. Due to their traditional beliefs, her mother was angry and shocked to see her daughter kissing a white boy which is considered morally wrong.

The shifting of gender roles in the past years has changed dramatically, opening new doors. It has happened so quickly that men and women are still trying to sort out what the new roles and rules mean to them. Although women are no longer expected to be the keepers of the house, in reality, they are still solely responsible for grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, and cleaning, like in the story “A Bit of Magic,” where Matina was seeking ways to earn her own money instead of relying on her husband to earn the cash. She wanted to have a good holiday with her family and found comfort in helping in some small way. Nowadays, men are generally open to the successes enjoyed by the women they share their lives with, however, some still find it hard to celebrate a woman’s achievements because they feel it diminishes their own.

However, rather than blaming each other for the situation, men and women are increasingly willing to work together to learn about their new roles. It will take time to sort out all the implications of the changing gender roles of Canadians, but new expectations should result in better work environment, better relationships, better education, and better lives for everyone in the community.