Not your mother's gender roles

One night last weekend, I had the pleasure of being escorted home by a very verbose, very intoxicated young man.

I got off work at midnight, and on the way home, I passed the aforementioned young man, who promptly turned around.

“Can I walk with you?” he questioned. “I’m just so lonely.”

“I’m going home,” was my firm yet non-aggravating response.

He was not deterred. We walked across Bloomington; he told me about his job, his son, his recent breakup. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world!” he exclaimed.

I wasn’t scared — the man was so drunk I probably could have just pushed him over — but I noticed my mentality was remarkably female in analyzing the situation: Am I in danger? He’s bigger than me. What are my options? Stay in well-lit areas. Get to Kirkwood. Text my friends. If the situation worsens, call someone immediately.

I doubt that the man had any malicious intentions; the slurring of his words suggested that he really didn’t know what he was doing at all. I’m sure he had no idea I even felt threatened.

Men on campus never really experience that sense of unease. Women feel it all the time, and we structure our habits and everyday livelihoods around it — we use the “buddy system,” we know where the blue emergency lights are on campus, some of us carry pepper spray — because almost all of us, at one time or another, have realized we are vulnerable. I can hardly imagine a guy getting hit on by a complete stranger for almost a mile.

The fact is that women and men still experience campus life differently.

The term has this way of immediately making you feel like you’re stuck in some obsolete feminist class when you’re asked to discuss it. But, for as starchy and academic as the wording is, “gender roles” provide a deep insight into our culture and our everyday lives.

From greek society where rules are applied based on the gender of members to Little 500’s infamous pudding wrestling, gender roles are on display everywhere. Last week I was asked to aid the history department in understanding how men and women differ in their history course preferences.

Even if you don’t stand in line at Sports in six-inch heels fluttering your fake lashes, you’ll probably have several experiences in your college career where your gender is obvious.

But, even when you aren’t paying attention, gender roles structure our society and they’re sure to define your life subliminally every day.