Gender Roles

1 Pages 317 Words

Gender Essay

In America’s pastime, a common stereotype has been that mother’s are always the better parent. For this reason mothers often are the recipient of the children in a custodial battle. The sad fact is that custody is frequently granted without any regard to who is actually the better parent and what is truly best for the children. In the essay I, Am a Good Parent by Dorsett Benett , Benett writes about his personal case with his former wife and what he went through.
The big issue with Bennett and his essay is that people still have the same view as they did years ago which is men are the working figures while women are the ones who stay home and take care of the kids. Times have changed and women are now working and men are taking the roles that women once had. Although it is very hard to imagine society has changed. Particularly in Bennett ‘s case he is trying to get custody of his children. He put his case together very well, he video typed testimonials from witnesses. Bennet says “The state legislature can pass laws that says neither parent is favored because of their gender. But it is judges who make the ultimate choice.”(Across Cultures,105).Most judges are older and have the perspective from the times where women were home and nurtured the children. This makes a difference in the decision the judge will have. In the trial Bennett’s ex-wife argument was “I am their mother”.(Across Cultures106). Although Bennett had a good case and a better custody evaluation than his ex-wife ,the judge still granted the mother custody....