Gender

 "In His grand design, when God first created man, He created a duality of the sexes. The ennobling expression of that duality is found in marriage. One individual is complementary to the other. As Paul stated, 'Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord' (1 Corinthians 11:11). There is no other arrangement that meets the divine purposes of the Almighty. Man and woman are His creations. Their duality is His design. Their complementary relationships and functions are fundamental to His purposes. One is incomplete without the other."

- President Gordon B. Hinckley

I loved this quote and it was one that I began my week with as we studied gender as it relates to family relations in my class this week. As a religious person with firm beliefs that gender is a part of our identity as an individual before we come to this earth, it is fascinating to follow cultural and social opinions and trends on this pressing matter. More than anything, it is even more interesting to me to study and examine biological differences between men and women as it relates to gender and gender identity principles. Biologically, men and women are different. Our brains are different, our bodies are different, and we are inclined towards different activities and hobbies based on our interests and what we are good at.

Let me state before I go any further, I think that everyone is justified in their thoughts and opinions, and every person is free to do and say as they please. Every person is important and as quoted in a religious text that I revere as truth, “the worth of every soul is great in the sight of God”.

With that being said, the topic of gender and its role in a family is interesting as we look at how the world reveres gender today. As we have worked closer and closer to equality of the sexes we have also seen a loss in the identity of each of these roles. The term “gender neutral” was not used as commonly if at all when I was a small child for example but is now an important political topic that even governs the packaging of toys at the store and has run places like the former “Toys R Us” to the ground. While this seems like a simple thing, the implications of such a thing bring into question what impact this has on the family today, and what impact will it have on the future?

As stated in the quote I began with, duality is the design for a family, and while equality and compromise and understanding are necessary for the success of a family, I ask myself if the way that the world is going, where men and women are expected to have the same roles and responsibilities is the right way to go.

My family would be considered rather traditional, I have a mother who stayed at home and raised the children and a father who was enlisted in the military and provided the money and financial protection and support that my family needed and still needs today. While from an outside perspective those gender roles may seem about as cookie cutter as you can get, I see from an inside perspective some things that may not quite fit the mold. My mother is the enforcer in my house. I was never scared if my Dad found out something wrong that I had done, it was my mother who would deal out punishments. When I began to date, my Mother was the one that would meet the boys at the door and give them a little scare. My Father, on the other hand, was the one who would often cook and would be the one who would give me money under the table to get gas or go out to lunch with my friends. These things may seem small but to me, it is evident that while we see gender in a specific way, every family is different, and every family finds what works for them, but often there are certain roles filled, no matter who fills them.

My thoughts today are simply an explanation that I believe that gender is important and valuable, but that we do not have to fit the societal model that others may see as the perfect family. We are individuals with individual personalities that we learn and grow into, but part of that identity I believe existed before we came here and is important to our growth and progress now.

Photo of the week: My sweet mom was in town and we got to spend the week together!