Shopping It's a Guy Thing

When men go shopping many employ a sort of "hit-and-run" strategy, meaning that they spend as little time as possible and they get out of the store as fast as they can. At least it used to be that way. Today we are changing our shopping habits and we are getting more individual in how we shop. Some spend a lot of money on clothing, while others spend very little. But overall men are moving slowly towards being "shopaholics" who are very concerned about how they look. I find my self somewhere in the middle of all this; I do not really like shopping, but I like to have a lot of new fashionable clothes and so I do go shopping once in a while. And when I am at the store the worst thing is simply what to buy, not the shopping it self.

But, shopping is not the only area in which men and women are getting more alike. It is a general trend in today's western society. Women today are making more money, getting better educations and gaining more influence. Women are, however, still inferior to men in most ways, and I like it that way. I do not now whether it is just because I am a man, if it has to do with tradition or if it is something else.

In my opinion the development towards equality has some negative aspects. Through time men have had the "burden" of taking the initiative towards a woman. Does this change with equality? I think men think so and women do not, which leaves no one to "make the move". This example illustrates the confusion that stems from the partially altered gender roles of today. The online dating services are getting ever more popular because they have more clear roles for their users. And no matter what you do you will always have the opportunity of being anonymous. So to sum up I think equality leads to confusion, men are a sort of protectors of the women. E.g. I would feel odd if my wife made more money than I did. I would feel less of a man; feel as if I was not able to provide for my family, I would feel a bit like a scrounger. With equality it is becoming impossible for all men to make more money than their female counterparts, and so my "feeling less of a man" becomes obsolete.

The confusion stretches beyond flirting; who will cook? And take care of the children? This is traditionally roles of the women, but with equality men are obligated to take part in these responsibilities. It is a sad situation for the children; the women count on the men to lend a hand and the men are still counting on women to do the job, leaving the children by them selves in the end. This is of course a simplistic image of the situation, but none the less it holds a grain of truth thus showing a "danger" of equality.