human development

Strange as it may seem, the family roles have not changed much in today's society. While girls and women (not only Polish) have more opportunities in home based employment, the traditional roles of women are still quite evident. They are still the caring provider and nurturer of young infants and children, the comforter for the crying child and the feminine presence of the household. While the husband's role has diversified into more household chores and the cooking and cleaning up responsibilities, they are still considered the head of the household.

Jaya Bachan

In the absence of the man, can the woman really "be like the man"? I think yes. There are women who are capable in finance, Do-It-Yourself fixtures and fittings, even being a capable single parent and bread winner. In this respect, women will have to be like the man. Of course, the woman cannot match the physical strength of the man. The other aspect of "thinking like the man" is a definite no. This is through experience. Women generally look at the details and forget about the overall picture. They have the capability of juggling more than one issue at a time unlike the man. And she is more tempered to her feelings. And because of this, the focus is not there to make a sound judgment. Men on the other hand, are more focus and look at one thing at a time. They are less prone to feelings and therefore they are better at seeing the overall picture. I think for this matter, a man balances up the woman and vice versa.

If we look at the example of a family with the wife who tries to be like the man, we have a situation where the roles are different now, because of the presence of the man. Man, no matter how gifted or ungifted have a certain ability to say that he is THE man in the house. And for the wife to usurp his position there will be certain unrest in the overall relationship. This may not be currently evident but it will become an issue at a later stage. Subtle hints are always there and if the wife chooses not to suspect or confront the situation, it will lead to a crisis.

Prathiba Patel

For a single woman to think like the man is a cultivated trait and takes a bit of training. We can see this in the military but in a family, the situation is entirely different. Matters of finance, of house hold purchases and bringing up children can take a toll on the mental strength of a woman. Thinking like a man here is not going to be balanced because a man doesn't see things a woman does. There's a feel for action and reaction in terms of human response for a woman. This is the area a woman's ability outshines the man's. And no matter what the training is, the feelings will still over rule prudence, objectivity and frugality. Yes, the man is not a big spender. He spends on what he needs and only that. Whereas, the woman spends on what she needs, what her children needs, what her friends and parents need. Therefore in the short term it may look okay but then the debts start piling up and the woman will be overwhelmed with it and then starts a course of painful self discovery.

Village Women

In essence, I think of the different physiological makeup of the man and the woman and that somehow, being single can offset certain weaknesses but when it comes to the family, both partners are needed. The man's contribution in objective input on logic and reason and the woman's influence on human relationships and needs thus help to promote strength together for the family.