About a month ago, a friend and I went to see The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on the day of the film’s release. I was giddy to see another addition to the acclaimed series after rewatching the original movies in March, and even more so with SweetTarts and Dr. Pepper running through my veins. However, about halfway through the 2-hour and 38-minute movie, my excessive soda consumption caused me to miss a substantial 5 minutes of the film.
On the way to the bathroom, I noticed something odd about the two doors. The women’s restroom had a “Koala Kare” sign, indicating an available baby-changing station, while the men’s restroom lacked one.
This blatant inequality angered me. What if a father brought his child to the movie theater, only to find out that an area that he would need to keep his child clean and rash-free was not accessible for men? Moreover, what is being insinuated if there is only a changing table in the women’s bathroom?
Women have historically been the caretakers of households. They were expected to clean, cook, and take care of the children— which often included changing their diapers. As time progressed, women integrated into and became more accepted in workplaces. Even though 70.8% of children’s primary caregivers are women, there are still many women who are not.
Women’s roles in society have progressed exceedingly since the end of the 19th century… So why haven’t public restrooms followed suit?
This idea that women should be the nurturers of children is now outdated and shouldn’t be the norm in public spaces. Not only is this idea unfair to both women and men, but it reinforces the idea that women should be caring and emotionally intelligent while men should be emotionally dull.
Women have always been thought of as more “emotional” than men while men are more “logical,” however untrue this may be. Studies show that there are little to no differences in men’s versus women’s emotional fluctuations. Men and women are seen as opposite sides of this emotional spectrum because of how they are raised.
Oftentimes, young boys are told to “man up” or that “boys don’t cry” when they become too upset, whereas young girls are given more leniency. This teaches boys from a very young and susceptible age that part of being masculine means suppressing their emotions. Girls are rarely inhibited by these macho expectations and therefore grow to become more empathetic.
Contrary to popular belief, differences in emotional intelligence are primarily a result of societal expectations and gender roles rather than a byproduct of hormonal genetics. Raising children to believe this only pushes them towards certain gender roles in society, leading women towards being “nurturing mothers.”
While a stay-at-home mother or the primary caretaker of a child is never wrong, we should allow women and men to be in all parts of society. Gender roles should stay out of public spaces—not only for the involvement of women but for the advancement of society as a whole.
