Fortunately, inequality and certain double standards involving women have been brought to the spotlight in society. Although many issues have not been resolved, they have been noted. However this cannot be said for many double standards involving men.

Men are often expected to be hard, powerful, and emotionless. Once any slight of emotion or moody behavior is detected, they are thought of as “weak”, or “gay” (as if being gay is considered a negative thing).  Part of being a human is having thoughts and feelings towards certain things. Last time I checked, men are classified as humans. Anybody that doesn’t feel emotional at times might as well be a robot.

It seems as though men are also expected to be the most assertive. When it comes to relationships, it’s thought of proper for them to always text first; they must be the one to ask the woman on dates. They are expected to take the pressure of making the first move in many aspects of relationships. Let us not forget about the classic, “men must always pay and provide for women”. This supports the traditional view that men should be the breadwinners and that they should pay and care for the woman as if the woman cannot do it for herself.

Sophie Callens (12) elaborates on the aggressive and dominant expectation of men. She states, “the media tells guys that they should be aggressive with women, be dominant, take what they want and it’s confusing when in reality, they find women don’t like to be treated like that and aren’t submissive or represented as “rewards” for their aggressive and masculine behavior they learn from the media”.

It may be true that double standards and inequality involving women may be more predominant and serious in society; this doesn’t mean men should be overlooked. Fortunately there has been uproar in the media about gender inequality, but it seems as though men have been lost in the mix. Hopefully within time, the amount of inequality and double standards toward both men and women is significantly decreased.

Chloe Griffith