Double standards: Who's to blame?, Nisa Hardin

Essay: Addressing the issue of double standards in this era will incessantly be something that impacts us all, but we rarely focus on the real problem at hand, and that’s who is being affected most and why. Some factors in particular such as race, religion, or the place one grows up in can play a role in how much a person experiences the many forms of double standards. The idea of undressing the topic and confronting it’s issues is, in this era, abnormal and almost taboo, which is ironic because the concept of double standards contributes greatly to what we are taught and what we teach, and before you know it it's become the norm. Blue is masculine, Pink is feminine, ballet is for girls, martial arts are for boys, and so on; until the invisible rules placed on certain religions, races, and genders cloud the judgement of whose who use double standards to perceive others. Phrases like “Boys will be boys”, “That isn't ladylike”, or “Man up!”, are all products of the enforcement we put on double standards, so much that we fail to realize that it has been ingrained in our minds from birth, clinging to us throughout the years, and obliviously passed down to the next generation.  

The deal with double standards is that it isn’t being dealt with. This could possibly be because in a way we know that trying to equalize justices between race, sex, economic status etc. would be too difficult an abstraction for the world to comprehend, and uncovering the ugly truth behind that system would do more damage than good. Double standards live everywhere, but it’s rules adjust depending on where it’s centered. In America, for example, there are a number of groups that face pretty particular double standards. These issues are often written about, and the variety of writers’ articles about the double standards they face displays much of the cause and effect. Barbara Walters, who at the time was just starting out as a young journalist, was well aware of her limits as a woman in the world of politics and became known for speaking out on things that were to be considered “bold” for women to discuss. In an interview, she states, “If I said to a politician, ‘Yes, but you didn’t answer my question,’ it sounded terrible, If a man said it, it didn’t sound terrible.” What Walters faced as a female in a predominantly male line of work was an experience similar to many other women before her, and presumably women today.  

Situations such as male vs female are not always so black and white, however.  Double standards can be narrowed down to something as particular as pregnancy and motherhood, according to a mother of one in North Dakota. Known as Gabrielle Pfeiffer, she describes her knowledge of double standards and how they haven’t really changed since they were created, only modified to fit today’s insatiable society. In one of her popular articles, Pfeiffer points out a well-known double standard: “As mothers, we see it the most. There was a time where most families stayed together, the father worked outside of the home, and the mom stayed at home as a homemaker. The dad would take their sons hunting and fishing, and moms would teach their daughters how to cook and clean. Back then it was the norm, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right way.” With the example she used, Pfeiffer was able to demonstrate how people have decided to deal with double standards decade by decade as a whole from her perspective. Women get the reputation of being bad mothers if they don’t fit the outdated double standard, and although some might not find it bothersome, those who attempt combat against the backlash of it don’t have many to fend for them.

In some way, shape and form double standards affect the mind and sense of belonging; in other words it can take a great toll on one’s identity. While the concept of double standards pairs well with stereotyping, an equally abstract idea that we are well acquainted with, it’s a reflection of what we are responsible for creating.

Capretto, Lisa. "The Sexism A Young Barbara Walters Faced When She ‘Asked The Tough Questions’." Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 04 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.

Bahadur, Nina. "5 Things Women Are Judged More Harshly For Than Men." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2017.