Trauma? I See No Trauma

Alexander Lau

11 July 2011

RD1

Trauma? I See No Trauma

Mary Pipher, author of "Saplings in the Storm," stated in one of her writings, "Between adolescence and menopause, women experience trauma in adjusting to their gender roles." What do I think of that statement? [Thesis]Gender roles are something we learn as we grow in the society we live in, and adjusting to them should not be a traumatizing experience as long as we know what is coming. [Thesis] 

There are a few things I would like to look at when discussing whether women experience trauma or not due to gender roles. First off, what is trauma? According to the medical dictionary at dictionary.com, a physical trauma is "a serious bodily injury or shock," and a psychological trauma is "an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial lasting damage to one's psychological development." Referring to the definitions previously stated, trauma is basically a serious event happening in a person’s life to be able to change them physically or psychologically. The problem here is what the roles of women are. That depends on the location and their view of women. Another problem is what the norm is when a girl grows up to be a woman. Should puberty be a traumatizing experience or is it just part of growing up.

The environment women live in plays a big part in shaping gender roles. Gender roles vary from place to place. Women are expected to grow up and conform to the society and culture of where they live. In the United States, women have been fighting for equal right since 1848 with the first women’s rights convention. They have been for the most part successful, at least in retrospect. Women are holding jobs they normal would not 163 years ago. It is not rare or unusual to see a woman in a managerial or executive position.  According to a Catalyst census, in the year 2009 and 2010, 50% of Fortune 500 companies had at least 2 women as part of their board of directors. Women that grow up in the U.S. tend to understand that there is still gender inequality, but also know that they can strive to be equal or better than their male counterparts without harsh repercussions. Let us take Michelle Wie as an example. She is currently a professional golfer playing in LPGA tournaments worldwide. In Jemele Hill’s article, “Wie Deserves Our Applause, Not Those Jeers,” when Wie was 16 she decided to try out for the men’s PGA tournament, specifically the U.S. Open. Michelle Wie failed to qualify, and people questioned why she would do such a thing in the first place. But, the fact that she was allowed to compete in the men’s tournament and at such a young age shows that, at least in the US that women are allowed to strive for the best even if others think they should not. Of course this is just one society and one country. Other countries are different. In certain countries in Africa, women are limited in what they can and cannot do. By understanding their roles in society, there should not be any reason for them to feel traumatized.

Another thing to look at is that adolescence and menopause are development stages of a woman’s life cycles. In “Saplings in the Storm,” Mary Pipher expresses that girls going through adolescence tend to lose themselves due to society. The gap between the two stages of development is from the years of 13 to 50 according to Erik Erikson’s concept of development stages. It is a normal process that everyone goes through. Schools, at least in the US, teach children about such things as the human body and the changes that will happen, so that they are prepared for what is to come for them.  As adolescence grow so do their perception of the world around them. They begin to see what sort of role they play in their society. These roles differ depending on where each woman lives and knowing themselves. Some learn it sooner than others. But all this is part of growing up such as, relationships, marriage, pregnancy, raising children, and death. The fear of growing up is reduced as knowledge is obtained and knowing that others are going through the same situation.

Claudia Ong’s view of the cause of gender role trauma is not totally wrong, but the media is but a part of growing up. Yes, media can influence the norms of gender roles, but they do not dictate them. People decide whether or not to follow what they see on T.V. or in magazines. Gender roles are dictated by the environment one lives in.  And, media is a part of such environments.

Do women experience trauma because of gender roles? No, because as girls grow up to be women they learn to understand what roles they are to fill. Those roles are decided upon the society they live in. And, growing up is a gradual process, which allows them to learn who they are and what they are to others.

Work Cited

Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. 6th edition. Eds. Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2009. 425-432.

"trauma." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 12 Jul. 2011. [Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trauma].

Catalyst. “Census Reveals Lack Of Progress, New Study Offers A Solution.” 2 May 2011. Women Worth Watching. 11 July 2011. [http://www.womenworthwatching.com/census-reveals-lack-of-progress-new-study-offers-a-solution/]

Hill, Jemele. “Wie Deserves Our Applause, Not Those Jeers.” 6 June 2006. MercuryNews.com. 8 June 2006 [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14756706.htm].

Ong, Claudia. “Causes and Solutions.” 8 July 11, 2011. Laulima Discussion. 11 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140]