Today, I saw an interesting headline on MSNBC.com which stated, “Men more likely to leave spouse who has cancer”. I found this astonishing and as I read the article further, I found it very interesting the conclusion they made based off the fact that they found nearly 21 percent of the couples divorced when the woman was the patient compared to about 3 percent when man was ill. “The researchers suggest men are less able to commit, on the spot, to being caregivers to a sick partner, while women are better at assuming such home and family responsibilities.” I thought this was a great look inside what our gender roles are in this country. Women are assumed to be better care givers and are better at assuming “family responsibilities.” I wonder what exactly the author ment by responisiblities. I find it interesting that the reasearchers thought that it wasn’t just a tradition in our world that the woman is the caretaker but to go as far as to say it is a scientific explination. What I found even more astonishing is what Dr. Marc Chamberlain, director of the neuro-oncology program at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance thought about the study; “Part of it is a sense of self-preservation. In men that seems to operate very highly and they don't feel this codependence, this requirement to nurture their significant other who has this life-threatening illness, but rather decide what's best for me is to find an alternative mate and abandon my fatally flawed spouse." I found this completely sexist in that he thinks men aren’t as dependant on a woman as she is on him. I think that in some cases, the man has a job and the woman stays with the kids, but in other families, it is the other way around. I think this way of thinking holds women back from being able to break away from the stereotype that they are needy and dependant on men.
I think your interpretation of this article may be a bit harsh. Women really are, on average, more nurturing. Some men don't know what to do to help, become overwhelmed and simply leave because they cannot take the stress. The behavior of both genders has its evolutionary advantages.
ReplyDeleteIf the man leaves, his is more likely to be able to mate again, thus having more children to pass on his DNA, rather than suffering the drain of caring for a spouse that may never bear another child. If the women stays, she is taking care of the main protecter and provider for her children, increasing the chances of her DNA being passed on. Also, these behaviors are averages. Did the article ever say "all men leave their sick spouses and all women stay with their sick spouses"?
There really are gender diferences. I don't think stereotypes have all that much power anymore. Not here, anyway.
Wow, that sounds like an interesting article. I like how you apply stereotypical gender roles to a more specific and diffent topic, cancer/sickness. I think the gender roles in this nation are slowly starting to cruble. More and more women are joining the work force, and more and more men are staying home to help take care of their kids. However, I think women will remain seen as the care taker and men as the work force for many years to come. Thus, this article does not surprise me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that your saying Shirley, however I don't think when a man leaves his wife he is thinking on a scientific level. I feel as though if a woman has the capability to stay strong emotionally for a spouse, why can't a man? Also, it wasn't the actual statistic that bothered me as much as how the scientist and researchers took the statistic. They felt it made sense because a man isn't as dependent on a woman and that is where the stereotyping came into play. I think there are many woman out there supporting the family financially and science should assume otherwise.
ReplyDelete