Gender

1) When I was little I was used to the idea that girls are supposed to be polite, wear pink and play with dolls/barbies.  Boys on the other hand were supposed to be tough, play sports and show less emotion when it comes to things like crying or being sad. I was never directly taught these ideas from my parents, but it was something that I noticed in preschool and kindergarten.

2) I have two younger brothers, and they were never dircetly told to behave in a certain way.  I remember a few times when my brother Joseph was younger that my dad would try to force him to play sports and he would not want to. Eventually he started playing basketball, and ended up really enhoying it. Ever since I can remember, I have always been a girly girl.  This is mostly from my mom's influence on me.  When I was younger, my parents liked the fact that I wa a girly girl, but they also supported me when I played soccer.  My parents were never that pushy on me and my brothers when it came to behavior based on our gender.

3)I think that going to the Mount has allowed me to view gender in a very postive way.  The Mount teaches us to be empowered women who can do anything that a man can do. This way of teaching has allowed me to see that as long as I work hard and try my best, I can pursue any career that I want to strive for.

4) In a romantic relationship, I think that is nearly impossible for gender to have absolutely no role. When I get married, I want to be treated equal to my husband, but I also want my marriage to be a little bit traditional.  While I want to have a successful career, it is very important that I one day become a mom.  I want to be able to spend time at home with my kids, but also maintain my career.  Most importantly, I want to be in a happy relationship where my husband and I love, support and respect one another.