"As a society we need to rethink our ideas concerning work, family, and gender roles" (Hesse-Biber and Carter, xviii).

     For me, this quote sums up how I feel about the majority of inequality between the sexes. There are many reasons for this continued inequality but each seems to tie in with the values enforced by society. Socialization teaches males and females from a young age the "appropriate" way to act according to their sex. The ancient beliefs and values of society are then passed down from generation to generation and shape the way women and men are treated in the workplace and at home for their entire lives. Although these values are slightly changing, traditional values regarding gender still exist.

     In terms of work, women choose traditional female occupations that praise the attributes associated with being a female. An example of one such attribute is the belief that women should be/are nurturing which leads them into careers such as nursing and education. Those careers that pay the highest and offer the most prestige praise traditionally male traits such as being assertive, aggressive, and dominant. Even in the professions, where women's numbers have increased significantly over the years, women choose specialties that pay less (such as becoming a pediatrician as opposed to a surgeon) and are associated with female traits. Socialization plays a big factor in the attributes women and men have and therefore the jobs they choose later in life.

     Another value in our society that enforces inequality between the sexes is the belief that men should be the primary breadwinners while women should stay home and care for children. In the United States, the person that brings in the income is the most valued. Women's unpaid labor is not regarded as work and is not included in the GDP (despite the value it provides to society). If a woman chooses to stay home, she is regarded as "unemployed". Her household chores, care giving, and all the other tasks she performs is therefore unrecognized. In addition, if a couple decides to have a child, the woman is the one who is expected to stay home and care for the child. She usually has to quit her job or drop down to temporary work to do so. With little quality, affordable child care options available, many women leave the workforce entirely to perform the care themselves. The way we think about unpaid household work and child care needs to be rethought.

     As mentioned earlier, socialization plays a huge factor in gender roles. It affects the traits women and men have, the jobs they choose, and how they act in relationships/with the family. It may be impossible to completely overthrow the values of society. Most of the views that cause inequality are unconsciously learned and taught. Therefore, we must make a conscious effort to continuously show how thinking this way is harmful to society and must be changed.