Gender Issues

Chapter Activity

Instruction: Please refer to the video entitled “The Impossible Dream”.

1. Why do you think the short video is entitled “The Impossible Dream”? 10pts.
The animated short film was a bold statement about the numerous problems
faced by women in the society just because of their disposition of not being born as
men. Our society has been and is continuously being run by patriarchal standards no
matter how much we want it to change. Women, when they marry, take on the
responsibility of caring for the children and working to accommodate the family’s
needs. Despite having her hands full, the woman in the video is seen to be carrying
on no matter how obviously tiring it was for her. Waking up early to care for their
infant, cooking left and right to put food in the table while the guys wait, bringing the
children to school, working full-time for a low-paying job where she is discriminated
against by a male boss, buying groceries for the family with the little money she had
while her husband gets drunk in a pub, and going back home to clean all the mess
while the guys sit and wait to be served again. In addition, the daughter, someone
considerably not much older than the son, is helping her mother do the chores and is
actually seen assisting her pathetic brother to wear his shoes. I can’t find the right
words to express how angry I got as I watched the video. The graphics may not be
able to compare with the animations we have now but it goes to show just how ugly
this aspect of the society is. Women are not born to serve men! I am not generalizing
the male population, but I sure am angry at the type of men being portrayed by the
husband in the video because I know that they do exist. They exist all over the globe
proudly waiting to be preached by women. They are entitled, undeserving, and
hugely needs to take another course on moral integrity, values, and gender equality.
It is ironic how all the woman wanted was for her husband to spend time helping her
care for the kids, to clean the house together, cook and knit clothes side-by-side, yet
everything about it sounds impossible.

This was a brilliant film. It deserved winning many awards just for how frank it
was. It was taking a wry humorous look at the issue, and definitely poked fun at how
utterly ugly and useless these men were. Women need to be freed from the
horrendous chains of being viewed as inferior and undeserving. Men are not worthy
of standing above women, no one is supposed to be standing above another.
Equality is the way; equal opportunities, equal rights, and equal standing in the
society. Gone are the days of silently following men’s orders. It’s time for a change.

2. Cite specific scenes in the short video, which you think, are problematically
related to Gender.
 3. Identify what category of Gender Issues is present on every scene you have
cited.

Write your answers for numbers 2 and 3 on the matrix provided below. 40 pts.

Specific Scenes in the short video which you Gender Issues

think are problematically related to Gender (Category)
5 pts. each refer to the pdf
3 pts. each
1. The mother and daughter work left and
right to cook and care for the family while
Gender Stereotype
the husband and son demand for food
without offering any help.
2. The daughter helps in calming the baby
while the son waits as his sister kindly
Gender stereotype
puts on his shoes on him as if it was
expected of her.
3. The mother, along with other women,
works in a low-paying job compared to Marginalization
her husband and other men.
4. The mother gets scolded and is
seemingly discriminated at work by an Marginalization
angry male boss.
5. The mother works for a full-time job while
still doing domestic tasks and being a Multiple Burden
housewife at home.

4. Are these problems also present in your family, neighborhood, or larger society?
Please cite and explain. 10 pts.

Yes, these problems are present. In my family, my mother serves my father food
most of the time. There are also times when the responsibility is passed on to me, in
which she’d say, “You’re supposed to serve your father since you’re a girl” in an attempt
to further convince me. I wanted to tell her every single time that women are not born to
serve men. However, my parents are too traditional for actual changes to occur so I
guess I would have to endure and just live with it. Moreover, my mother has a computer
shop business and she’s often busy catering to the customers’ concerns, but I guess, all
of that doesn’t excuse her from being a doting housewife as well, adding to her already
busy schedule. And this is definitely not happening only in my family. My neighborhood
is full of men waiting for their female spouse to serve them perfectly. Last but not the
least, the pay-gap issue and gender subordination are clearly present not only in my
neighborhood but also in the larger society. So many women are viewed as weak, get
less work opportunities, and receive lower wages. They are perceived to be inferior to
men and have less access to and control over development resources and benefits.
Even the President of the Philippines himself spoke his opinion on how politics is not
suited for the female population because they are too emotional, or in this case “soft”, to
actually be good at it. And if I may boldly say, the President, a man, is not even doing a
decent job at being a role model, much less being a leader of a country. So what gives?
If Duterte, a man whose capabilities are currently being questioned, can be the
Philippine president, why can’t women? Women are clearly capable of leading others.
Duterte doesn’t have a say on what opportunities women don’t deserve, so do other
men.