By Kathleen Ramirez |Staff Writer|
One of the three ancient rules of masculinity that men still face today is that a real man is supposed to be a provider and a protector of women, children and others, according to psychologist Martin Seager.
Seager also stated that a “real man” retains mastery and control.
As a woman, I am not completely aware of the different obligations and stresses that men experience on a regular basis.
However, growing up with three brothers I was able to witness them forcefully become the people that we as a society deem “real men”. Through that experience I became more aware of the different obstacles men face.
Most of the time we can relate to the difficulties that our friends and family share, but sometimes we do not recognize the struggles the opposite sex encounters.
“When I was growing up my mom stayed at home and took care of me and my brother, while my dad worked 50 hours a week to provide for us,” said student Michael Chavez.
“That’s just the way things were and when I have a family one day I want to be able to do the same for my wife and kids,” continued Chavez.
Obviously, things have progressed in modern day society and most households are part of a two income family.
Even though there has been progress, men still feel a sense of responsibility to be the main provider.
“Men are supposed to provide, not only for ourselves, but for our family,” said student Joseph Patterson.
“That is a lot of pressure on us to hold things together,” added Patterson.
Naturally, this is a lot of responsibility and can weigh heavily on someone.
Men live four to seven years less than women, a higher percentage are susceptible to committing suicide and they also make up the bulk of our homeless population, according to hubpages.
Furthermore, a higher number of men are unemployed, fall victim to workplace deaths and injuries and take on jobs that are hazardous with low pay.
It is not easy for men to talk about the struggles and worries they are faced with.
Guys tend to bottle up their feelings and concerns and if they do try to vent to their friends or family, society labels them as sensitive or emotional.
There is nothing wrong with a man being sensitive or emotional, but for some reason when you call a man sensitive our culture associates it with weakness.
When a person is unable to talk about being under pressure or what difficulties they are going through it can ultimately lead to health problems such as, developing diseases, tension in your body and sometimes even death, according to community.sedona.
“The world tells men they are supposed to be strong and be the protectors and not all men feel like they live up to that standard and that’s a shame,” said student Mahlia Brown.
While I acknowledge that men have it hard too, I am not writing off the struggles that women face, and the struggles I have faced. I am very aware that women work hard and also struggle to make a living and provide for their families.
For example, being a single mom, dealing with the unfair wage gap, inadequate representation for women in general.
It seems there is somewhat of a double standard when men are judged harshly when they do not fit into this preconceived notion of what a man is supposed to be.
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