Hispanic vs. Pakistani: Gender Roles in Society Essay

When a culture has a way of doing things, it is supposed to be like that till the end of time. Little did ancestors know, with the way society evolved some customs cannot stay the same. Jobs are now created for both men and women and money has become more of a necessity to survive. Looking at two cultures in particular, Hispanics and Pakistanis, they both have diverse views on the roles of their men and women. In addition to what is permissible and frowned upon in a culture. They each allow distinctive roles to be played in society such as workforce, and or domestication. However, the cultures both had become affected by changes such as bills, taxes, keeping a home up, providing for children, and the requirements to be allowed a career. At the beginning of time these cultures first started out, nothing else was known but what they created and put in their own minds. Both Hispanic and Pakistani men made it their mindset that they must be the provider, the one waited on. Being a working Hispanic man with no formal education, minimum wage is about $7.25 an hour. With only that kind of pay many men cannot be the only provider for their family, household, or bills therefore many endure hardships. Some men wait behind buildings, or in alleys waiting for the average man seeking cheap labor just for any extra money they can receive. In Pakistan, â€Å"the minimum wage for the factory: 4600 RPK per month (equivalent to 37 US cents an hour for a 48-hour workweek) plus the required 44.23 rupees/hr overtime for more than the standard 48-hour workweek in Pakistan (equivalent to 74 US cents an hour)† (Cook). Nevertheless, some men go against how things should be and take on the role of a stay at home dad, while women financially provide for their family. There is no set role in the society people love in today, as times changes so do people to better adapt to the way of living. When the word â€Å"woman† was spoken, many thought, subservient towards men. Contrasting men, women were treated as if they had no backbone or way of doing as they chose in the Hispanic or Pakistani cultures. The role of a woman was, awake, clean thy home till spotless, bear to all children and husband needs, and make sure food was freshly made and served by the time their husband was home from work. Without an approval from their husband, any economic activities, such as employment and ownership of property were prohibited. However, with society altering so swiftly, a man making all decisions is not a worry of many women now. â€Å"The factor most responsible for the earlier high growth rate was the rapid increase in the labor force participation rate of women, which stood at 34 percent in 1950 and increased to 60 percent by 2000. The number of women in the labor force rose from 18 million in 1950 to 66 million in 2000..† (Toossi). Women found the reason to start working actual jobs to have a better chance of surviving in society and it’s vast changes. Hispanic women have the chance of a formal education, but if not financially able there are many low-class jobs that do not require a proper education. Most Hispanic women who are single mothers, or are the only person providing find quick and easy jobs like janitors, maids, servers, and retail, receiving only minimum wage or a little higher. * How much pakistani women get paid without formal education, how do they survive?