Let’s face it; you probably had a childhood where your mom was there wherever you went. Your first words were “Mama,” and your mom made sure to put your favorite food on the table, tuck you into bed at night, clean after your poo, and so on. If this does not describe your mother, at least your grandmother is likely to match this profile. The thing is, this specific role for women has been a long-rooted common belief. This means that it was socially acceptable for women to bear children, take care of them, protect them, and ultimately raise them into human beings that fit into the society of the day. These responsibilities were solely upon the woman, meaning that the men did not have to engage in raising kids and nurturing them out of social force.
This generalized gender role has been there since the beginning of humanity; however, in recent years, this belief or the gender role has been heavily criticized. After the feminist movement in the late century, the typical gender roles have changed drastically over time. Even though the stereotypical woman’s role specify to stay at home and take care of the children, the majority of women today are focusing on their career goals.
If you peek into the lives of your friend group or your acquaintances, you might see that there are twenty-five years old women with kids staying home and taking care of the children. On the other hand, some twenty-five years old women are pursuing their masters or running to their nine-to-five on a daily basis.
The key point to understand here is that not all women obey the long-lost gender roles, and that is alright. Individuals have the means to make their own decisions in order to build their lives. This also includes the women of the day. So, making a generalization on gender roles is rather fruitless; however, there is some anatomical, behavioral, and psychological evidence that women are more likely to protect, nurture, develop, and raise the young.
Anatomical Proof – Are Women more Nurturing than Men?
One anatomical proof that women are more likely to raise the young is their ability to bear children when compared to men. While men are vital when it comes to reproduction, everyone knows that only women are able to conceive and carry a child till birth. Women have the anatomical structure to conceive and create a fetus inside their body, nurturing, growing, developing, and protecting the fetus till birth.
A pregnant woman undergoes drastic changes both physiologically and psychologically to bring a baby into the world. For example, a whole new organ called the placenta grows in the womb in order to transfer vitals to the growing fetus. Moreover, a woman’s progesterone levels are higher during the course of pregnancy, keeping the uterine lining intact for the baby’s growth.
The anatomical differences right after giving birth also showcase that women are most likely to nurture the young than men. A hormone called prolactin induces the production of milk in females, allowing the mothers to breastfeed their newborns. This is more than enough anatomical evidence that women are, in fact, more likely to protect, develop, nurture, and raise the young.
Behavioural Proof – Are Women more Empathatic than Men?
There is some evidence that suggests women’s behaviors are more suited for raising the young. A study showcases that women are better at empathizing and caring for others when compared to men. This quality comes in handy when taking care of children according to their needs. There is also a high percentage of women caregivers, with 68 percent of them being female. This means that women tend to work better when caregiving activities are involved, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, and so on. This also showcases that women tend to care and nurture more than men, which is ideal for raising kids.
Psychological Proof – Are Women more Loving than Men?
Last but not least, there is some psychological evidence to suggest that women are better at caring and nurturing in nature. Oxytocin, also commonly known as the “love hormone,”, levels are high in a woman who just gave birth. This helps to form a loving bond between the baby and the mother, kick-starting the nurturing instinct in women. This also showcases how women are more likely to care for their children than men.
Bottomline
Raising kids and maintaining a household is not an easy task in this day and age, and women should not be forced or coerced into doing so if they prefer not to do so. Women have the freedom to choose for themselves in this day and age, so it is also not uncommon to find switched gender roles. This means that some fathers are in charge of taking care of the kids in some households while the mother provides for the whole family. So this is a great example to showcase that all women are supposed “Nurture” while all men are supposed to “Provide.”
Remember, each individual is different. Even if a person has an anatomy of a woman, he/she might not be caring enough or empathetic enough to raise the young in the same manner; there are men who are more comfortable and compassionate when it comes to raising the young. Even though there is evidence to support that women are, in fact, more suited for protecting, developing, nurturing, and raising the young, it is not always a woman’s responsibility.
