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Ana Huerta
Professor Vana DerOhanessian
English 115
26 November, 2014
The Double Standard Restrains Equality for Sexes
The double standard has existed since the beginning of time when men did all the labor
and women stayed home to take care of the children. Now the double standard still exists today
limiting both men and women in their lives, careers and emotionally. Women have been harassed
with the fact that it is looked down upon on when women have sex with more than one person
but when men do it is not as bad. Being more than one person should not be encouraged at all,
but women should not be the only ones pointed out for their wrong doings. For a long time now,
men have a status of being reflected as strong, brave and all powerful because they are the ones
above anything and everything, but they are also bombarded with the double standard. Men are
not allowed to show their emotions because thats a woman thing, then why were men given
emotions? Men cant hit woman, but woman on the other hand can, which would make more
sense if violence just stopped overall. Women have to deal with gender wage gap, and their
behaviors when working because they can be misguided as too soft or too overly dramatic for the
work force. Either way, there are many double standards that apply to men and women but all we
ask is for equality among the sexes.
Even from the womb, after finding out the gender of the baby, they are destined to
behave in certain ways regarding their sex. A young boy and girl learns from her surroundings
and people who care for them, the dos and the donts on how to behave. For some reason, boys

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grew up mentally believing they were the dominant sex and are portrayed to be strong. Though
as men, they feel the freedom to have sexual intercourse with more than one woman without
being harshly judged as woman. When woman are being sexually active with more than one
man, they are considered to be a disgrace to women and to their family. Usually they know
adultery is very serious and morally wrong but in such cases that adultery happens a woman
suffers more the consequences than a man who also committed adultery. A man gets to get away
with very minimal punishment and criticizes, just like in No Name Woman by Maxine Hong
Kingston, where the author tells a story about her aunt she must not know who she is because she
has brought shame to the family by getting pregnant with another man. Kingston deliberates how
the man who her aunt has done adultery with got away with it, He organized a raid against her
(18), and even had the courage to make her mistake more punishable by destroying her home and
leaving her to feel unwanted and dishonoring her whole family without the man having to have
suffer through any consequences. This has led the aunt to committing suicide with the baby, and
earned a disgrace but even though this was back in the days where people were morally stricter,
the double standard of woman is still harshly reinforced in the present days.
Also on the work field, woman have been neglected jobs or are not rewarded like they
should be because of the simple fact that they are woman. For example, being a woman sports
broadcaster is almost unheard of because woman do not usually go for a male dominant job.
According to an article about Double Standard: Why Woman Have Trouble Getting Jobs in
Local Television Sport, men will be rewarded more in the workplace because of inherent traits
of competitiveness and risk-taking Browne (1998), men are getting a higher pay or more
recognition only because they are male. This is unfair to woman workers who are being
stereotyped as only being good at being mothers, "The economically rational, profit-maximizing

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[manager] will prefer an employee who works longer hours, is willing to relocate and whose
career is not interrupted for childbirth and child-rearing (Browne 1998, pg.436), this is affecting
many woman who are pursuing careers where they are being limited to their abilities due to
stereotypes.
Gender wage gap has not only been a problem at the United States but it is also a problem
in other countries. Though, it is known women are usually paid less on an industry where men
are superior but this is also the same for men that work in a superior work place where women
are in charge. According to Gender Watch about gender wage gap, a further area of research is
to establish whether differential wage outcomes along gender lines can be discerned within
highly gender-segregated agencies, (Mind the Gap, 4), this is in Australia where there is a
possibility both genders are paid unfairly due to superior genders in an industry. Usually men are
paid more than women because they have the power and greater leadership skills naturally that
bosses find fitting for their industry and therefore earning the male a higher pay. Womens
behavior is calmer and sweet which can come in the way of them earning a higher pay also
because they do not want to ask for more than they are being paid. It is harder for women to
confront their boss and ask for something they know they deserve because the nature of women
is to be gentle and the industry asks for aggressive competitors to bring success in their business.
The same with men who work for a very prestigious woman who is the dominant one in the
business, she is more likely to give a higher pay to her own gender just because but equality
should be spread to avoid problems for both genders.
Obesity, anorexic and bulimia are all very crucial topics for both men and women
because this is not only a physical problem but sadly this has to do emotionally too. Though both
sexes may deal with one of these eating disorders it seems like woman are targeted more than

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men. Though men have to live up to their standard, which is to look strong and be strong.
Appearances become everything to a person when all they hear are criticizes about how they
dress or how many pounds they gained. Physically, people are becoming mortified in looking in
mirrors because they believe they have to achieve the standard their sex has. Though not only are
genders beating themselves because of their physical but also emotionally. Men cannot show as
much emotion as woman because it is unmanly and woman are known to be overly emotional.
The double standard is applied everywhere from physically and emotionally.
The fact is woman and men are limited and stomped around because of the double
standard. Woman can broadcast sports just as good as men, but with the stereotypical comments,
there is no real chance for women to make a career out if. Though men are paid less when there
are gender differences and woman are in control. The double standard has existed for some time
now, so even though as much as the topic is being reinforced as unfair for both men and women,
the progress is moving to slow. In comparison with back then and now, the double standard does
not have as much consequences but women are still feeling pressured to make a better of
themselves and try to satisfy the needs of other people by taking drastic changes in their
appearance. Men are not allowed to show emotions because thats not how men should be acting.
That still doesnt stop both genders from judging each other, but yet they are fighting for equality
among each other. It is hard to realize that we are trying to get equality but are applying the
double standard when something seems unfair. The double standard has manipulated men and
women on having a mind set about each other and easier way to get away with things like how
many sexual partners one gender can have or how much emotion is allowed for the other. Point
is equality is earned not given, remain with the double standard and equality will never be
reached among the sexes.

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Work Cited
Brown, K., & Ridge, S. (2002). Mind the gap: Gender wage differentials in the australian public
sector. Equal Opportunities International, 21(3), 1-11. Retrieved from
Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts. New
York: Knopf, 1976. Print.
Mary Lou Sheffer. and Brad Schultz. "Double Standard: Why Women Have Trouble Getting
Jobs in Local Television Sports." Journal of Sports Media 2.1 (2007): 77-101. Project MUSE.
Web. 22 Nov. 2014.