Male and Female Roles in American Culture

ASSIGNMENT: Write an essay of 1,000 words that examines how our American culture differentiates between male and female roles and argues that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s arguments do or do not hold true for Americans. Use MLA format, include a Works Cited page, and incorporate at least one outside source you find on the internet. BRAINSTORMING: As you read Adichie’s essay, “A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions” (p. 501), note the author’s claim that “the idea of ‘gender roles’ is absolute nonsense.” Consider her examples supporting this claim and how gender roles affect both female and male children. Note Adichie’s argument that toys for girls tend to be passive and toys for boys tend to be active. Is this like assigning boys the color blue and girls the color pink? Furthermore, how do we praise and criticize women differently than men? Explore the way gender roles affect U.S. citizens, pointing out important examples of contrasting female versus male gender roles, and relate your observations to Adichie’s argument. Is the author correct to argue against gender roles here in the United States? RESEARCH: Locate and include at least one outside source from the internet. Your source must be reliable and authoritative (no blogs, personal websites, or other unreliable sources). Choose scholarly sources only, such as a research essay published by a university press or an article published in a reputable venue, such as The New York Times, Psychology Today, or Time. It may help you to use Google Scholar for your web search.