Gender and Culture

Each culture has different rules and roles regarding male and female. Many cultures are male dominant, but it is important to know which cultures are not.

In research for an historical novel I found that particular culture was neither male nor female dominated. Both were expected to share leadership and neither was assigned to a particular role. How cool is that! It caused me to think about the cultures that are a part of my everyday life. I thought about the people I know from groups different than my own and how things work in their worlds.

The importance of this to a writer is huge. Imagine writing a story that is set in a distant land and the author of that story assumes that the roles in their own culture are global. Let's suppose the story has the male as the leader/family head and the writer attributes to him decision making power. But in the culture that is being portrayed the opposite is true. Suppose again, this error in the manuscript makes it past the agent and the editor and neither having caught the problem, the ms gets published.

Credibility of the author is destroyed and that of the agent's and publisher's is at risk. The trust of the reading audience has been lost and may never be able to be recaptured; all because of an assumption.

Even when you believe you are correct in the assignation of gender roles, check to be sure. Things are never as simple as they seem. An example is in western culture, specifically the United States. The male is assumed to be dominant and is designated family head/leader. Have you ever noticed that on Mother's Day there are more cards bought and sent than on Father's Day.

More and more families are becoming duel income households, partly due to economics or duel careers, the latter gaining more popularity. We are also experiencing more single parent homes, head by male or female. These examples do nothing to change the designation, yet they add a small twist to the thought of gender value that could have great ramifications on a story.

Bottom line, always do you research.