Blogger 3: Sexual Orientation or Gender Roles

    Throughout our time in Morocco, we have been exposed to gender roles in many different contexts through professional visits, academic settings, and everyday life. Because of this exposure, I wanted to explore the social expectations surrounding gender roles. While women in Morocco are increasingly involved in education and professional settings, traditional gender expectations are still present in certain social and cultural environments.

    It stood out to me how normalized these expectations often are. During one tour, a guide explained that many men in Morocco feel pressure to be the primary financial providers for their families. The way gender roles were being described to us made these roles seem less like rules and more like an assumed social structure, a structure where each gender has a “natural” set of responsibilities that is widely understood and expected.

    This observation connects to research showing that women continue to perform a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic labor, including cooking, cleaning, and caregiving. While many people express support for more equal sharing of household responsibilities, actual daily practices often remain unequal. The article highlights how the male breadwinner model still strongly influences how labor is divided, reinforcing the expectation that men work primarily outside the home while women manage domestic responsibilities. This creates what is described as a “double burden,” where women are expected to balance both paid employment and unpaid household work (Barnett 2024).

    The main societal issue here is how deeply the male breadwinner expectation is embedded in everyday life. Even as women gain greater access to education and employment opportunities, the expectation that they will continue to take on most domestic responsibilities has not changed at the same rate. This issue affects individual households and limits broader gender equality by restricting women’s ability to fully participate in the workforce, pursue leadership roles, or advance their careers without having additional expectations at home.

    While researching this topic, I found the contrast between changing attitudes and persistent behaviors especially interesting. On one hand, studies suggest that younger and more urban populations are increasingly supportive of more equal sharing of household labor (Barnett 2024). On the other hand, traditional expectations still shape daily life in various real ways, where men are more likely to be viewed as primary providers and women as primary caregivers within the home.

    This pattern is not unique to Morocco. When I reflect on my experiences in Mexico, I notice similar expectations, where women are often associated with caregiving and domestic responsibilities while men are expected to focus on financials. Seeing this parallel made me realize that these gender roles are not isolated to just one country or culture, but rather part of a broader global structure that shapes the expectations of men and women in different ways.

    This identity was important for me to explore because it challenged me to think more deeply about gender roles and how they are conveyed in everyday life. Even when attitudes appear to be progressing, deeply rooted social norms continue to influence behavior in ways that are not immediately recognized.

Barnett, C. L. (2024). Gender role attitudes, perceived norms, and the "double burden" in Morocco (Policy                Research Working Paper No. 10694). The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-10694