As I mentioned in class the other day, last weekend I had two rather fascinating/troubling gender-y encounters around Oshkosh.
The first came Saturday night at the downtown Art Walk. A female DJ, who was broadcasting and playing (good!) music in the middle of the 400 block, paused the tunes to address the crowd. She asked how everyone was doing, then said, "So, ladies, how many of you have already spent half your husband's salary?" I yelled back, "I'm spending my own damn salary!" but it was pretty loud out there. It's a minor thing, but I was definitely annoyed by it. There have been times in my marital partnership that one of us made more money than the other. When I was a graduate student, I was definitely the lower earner, but there have been times I was the chief breadwinner, too, and right now we are as close to a perfect equal partnership as you can get, in terms of both salary and housework. I worked darn hard to get my PhD and to get a good job, and I'm proud of not just my work but the fact that I DO bring in a paycheck every month (well, except for the summer, when I am technically unpaid but work anyway).
The other minor thing was a phrase my husband noticed, and called "sexist," when we took my parents to the Lands' End Outlet [I know, technically they call it an "Inlet" which I think is rather too cutesy for me]. Over a display of kids' snowpants and mittens, a big navy-and-white sign said, "Don't worry, Mom, they're guaranteed," implying that only moms see to the kids' snow gear. Yep, I know, on one level it's "just" a sign. On the other hand, all of these subtle cultural cues we get about parenting contribute to the idea that moms are "naturally" in charge of certain tasks and dads are not, when snowpants, as a very modern invention, are not "naturally" anyone's job [but they are warm. I have to find some adult ones!]
How do you encounter gendered signs as you wander about Oshkosh and Wisconsin?
No comments:
Post a Comment