Gender Roles: Kavanaugh Hearing

Haley Sweetland Edwards, author of Time article, "The Kavanaugh Hearing Showed Why The Myth of Nice Girls and Tough Guys Persits," stated, "Not once did Ford raise her voice. Not once did she interrupt a Senator. Not once did she refuse to answer a question. Like millions of women trained to be Nice Girls, she was always a perfect lady: polite, patient and deferential to the men in the room." 

This hearing has taught me many things, but one thing that is of utmost importance to this class is the way in which Dr. Ford composed herself. She was calm, graceful, and respectful. Not once did she interrupt a Senator, unlike Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was angry, raising his voice, and cutting off the senators that were speaking. If Dr. Ford had acted in the way Kavanaugh did, people would be outraged, calling her nasty names. The way in which this country raises boys and girls is so divided and so gendered. Girls are asked to be polite and quiet while boys need to be aggressive and loud. 

As long as women and men must fulfill certain gendered roles, to be appreciated and heard, process will not exist.