Mom expected daughter to do the 'woman's job' of cleaning the house while her brothers played games — she had an apt response
The idea of gender discrimination is deeply rooted and, unfortunately, practiced subconsciously by many. Sexism might begin at home for many children, with parents, family members and relatives showing favoritism towards a specific gender. A 22-year-old woman who goes by u/TheRealYemmi on Reddit revealed that her mom constantly discriminated between the boys and girls regarding chores. When she and her sister were expected to do cleaning while the boys played, she didn’t settle and confidently called out the bias. According to UNICEF, children get a sense of gender identity by the age of 3. It is very easy for parents to pass on their gender bias to their kids.
Playtime, toys, chores, rules, colors and everything play a role in giving a child an idea about equality and fairness. In a study published by the American Psychological Association, lead author Alexander Jensen, PhD and an associate professor at Brigham Young University, noted, “For decades, researchers have known that differential treatment from parents can have lasting consequences for children.” It was also noted that favoritism can arise based on different aspects among children and it often leads to disruption within the family.
The woman noted that she had three brothers and a younger sister, all between the ages of 18 and 25. She added, “My family believes that men should work outside and women should do the inside work.” She tried to stand up against this idea but was often shut down. In her most recent instance, the woman drew a line. The post explained that the house required a deep clean and the 22-year-old suggested that all pitch in to help. “My mom actually agreed and said, ‘That sounds like a good idea.’ I was surprised and thought we were all on the same page,” she remarked.
The woman and her sister were quickly assigned vacuuming and similar tasks while the boys were leisurely playing. “I started wondering when my brothers were going to be called to help. I asked her about it and she told me to be quiet and do the work,” she wrote. The woman voiced her opinion and said that it wasn’t fair that the brothers did nothing while she and her sister worked hard. To her surprise, her mom replied, “Never in my life have I seen a girl act like this. Aren’t you embarrassed?” When she reminded her mother that it was initially the plan to involve the boys, the mother responded by saying that she did agree but never intended to make the brothers do any work.
Furthermore, the mom said, “They’re boys. You and your sister are girls. This is your job.” “I even tried to ask my dad to step in, but he just ignored me and kind of mocked me,” the woman wrote. As a result, she took a stand for herself and stopped doing any chores as a “protest” to the clear gender bias. People applauded the woman for putting her foot down. u/Extra-Chocolate-1819 said, “It’s just blatant sexism.” u/missmelodypond wrote, "I’d be ashamed to raise boys to believe they could sit gaming while the females cleaned the house." u/dogtriestocatchfly noted, “Blatant favoritism towards the sons, ridiculous double standards towards the daughters. Do not go along with what your mom says and make sure to protect your sister from this too.”
