Becky's Interview

Interview Protocol

1. Tell me about your family when you were growing up
a. How many members?
b. Where were you in the lineup (oldest, middle, youngest, only child)?

2. What were your favorite toys growing up?
a. Who gave them to you?

3. Were you involved in any type of activities growing up?

4. Did you have chores growing up?

5. What did you want to be when you grew up?
a. Were you encouraged to follow any particular type of career path?
b. What were your parents’ occupations?

6. Today when you think of the role of a female vs. the role of a male, what comes to mind?
a. Do you feel you fit the female role you just described?

Summary of Sophia's experiences

Sophia is a 28-year old female Ph.D. student. She grew up in the home of her parents with a sister two years younger than her. Sophia’s experiences with gender growing up could be described as traditional neutral with more emphasis placed on individuality and independence than on gender related expectations.

Sophia and her sister had a love/ hate relationship. Sophia explained, “we fought a lot growing up and didn’t really get along until I was about 16.” Sophia and her younger sister had different interests and usually did not share their toys. Sophia enjoyed puzzles, games, and things she could do with her hands and by herself. Her sister, on the other hand, was interested in horses, being outside with the neighbor’s dog, and playing Cowboys and Indians while tying other kids up with jump ropes. Sophia recalled she received one Barbie doll from her parents and a Sheer Princess of Power from her aunt as gifts when she was about six. Once everyone figured out she didn’t care much for dolls, she started receiving more “practical gifts”.

Through the developmental years, Sophia’s parents emphasized self-sufficiency while encouraging their children to consider the future when making decisions. Sophia was involved with Girl Scouts, the youth group, and the literary team. She also did gymnastics in elementary school and played field hockey in high school. Through the years she went from wanting to be a teacher when she grew up, to wanting to be writer, to wanting to be a social worker. Her parents however advised her to consider a more lucrative career. She recalled her parents didn’t encourage or discourage a career choice based on her gender, but rather on the financial possibilities associated with a particular career. “I was told whatever job I had I needed to be able to support myself incase something happened and my husband couldn’t.”

Although Sophia insists she never got the message that a female’s place was in the home, she does feel a woman’s role in the family is the primary caregiver. She feels there are certain qualities women posses that men do not when it comes to nurturing children. She also has strong beliefs that men and women both have the right to work outside the home. She noted, “women should not be expected to stay home and men should not be expected to work harder so the woman can stay home.” Her parents both worked outside the home when she was growing up however, her father had a much more flexible position. Because her mother worked set hours, her father was the one to pick the girls up from school and was also the one who stayed home with them when they were sick. Nevertheless, when it came to the household, the majority of the duties fell upon her mother. She and her sister were also responsible for helping with the cleaning and laundry while her father was excused from such tasks.

Overall, Sophia was raised in a fairly gender-neutral environment with more emphasis placed on self-sufficiency than on becoming the epitome of femininity. However, she was also raised with very traditional gender-related values she carries with her today. She indicated she does not feel she fits the socially acceptable role of a female as a 28-year old single woman occasionally causing her to question her self-worth and career aspirations.