A traditional household would begin with the women taking care of the kids and the home; the strong and devoted husband went out and worked to provide for the family. Gender roles for men and women have been a part of our history.

Women began to take a stance when they demanded more out of their life than staying in the kitchen in the ’60s, ’70s and so on. Many women wanted to become the breadwinners inside and outside of the house. Women fought for the right to vote during the women’s right movement, which eventually trickled into a bigger cause called feminism. Women were tired of being Marilyn Monroe of the household.

Now as society’s been swept into millennial ways of thinking; so has the outdated but ever present gender roles.

Or so it seems.

The Council on Contemporary Families surveyed millennials aging from 18 to 25. The results were contrary to what seems to be today’s progressive take on gender roles.

The survey stated millennials supported “egalitarian family arrangements than did the same age group 20 years earlier.” A second survey conducted by Joannin Pepin and David Cotter stated that in 1994  “only 42 percent of high school seniors agreed that the best family was one where the man was the main income earner and the woman took care of the home. But in 2014, 58 percent of seniors said they preferred that arrangement. In 1994, fewer than 30 percent of high school seniors thought the husband should make all the important decisions in the family. By 2014, nearly 40 percent subscribed to that premise.“

This survey results were featured in the New York Times.

The rise in percentages aligns with America’s history. While taking one step forward, society takes a step back. Yet, this generation needs to continue to be progressive, but there seems to be a long way to go.

A study done by Nika Fate-Dixon studied how millennials look at traditional roles of women. The study was conducted both in 1977, 1994, and in 2014.

Each study posed the same question to study goers ages 18-25 asking, “is it much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever outside of the home and the woman takes care of the home and family?”

The study found that at least two-thirds of people agreed with the statement in 1977.

But as the years changed the study saw that the answers to the question slowly and surely start to change as well.

Fast forward to 2014, the study stated, “the proportions of Americans who rejected the superiority of the breadwinner family climbed to 68 percent.”

Now, in 2017, we are looking at how people feel about gender roles. Have we really become progressive?

“I think millennials see gender and expression as more of a performance compared to previous generations,” said Cody Corrall a 19-year-old DePaul student. People are coming around to expressing themselves more and going against the quota of gender roles and norms.”

Millennials of today are not the only generation that are tired of the traditional gender roles. Baby Boomers and Generation X have joined hands with millennials to fight for a change.

Some may be stuck in their ways, but older and newer generations are taking a path to being equal in gender roles.

“In the past, when everything was so traditional, if you felt different it was taboo, it was against the law,” Darsie Bowden, professor of English said. “People feel more free now to develop into the person they feel they are.”

Both women and men protest for gender equality. However our society can make the glass seem either half full or half empty.

According to NewsCreds Insights, women hold 52 percent of all professional-level jobs. This is what progression is about until we as a society realize that women are still paid 83 percent of what men earn, according to the Pew Research Center of Analysis.

Even on the brink of progression, we as a society are still trudging along.

“We are socialized to think that gender roles are the norms, it can be really hard to realize whether or not you’re ascribing to these construct ideas,” Corrall said. “Gender roles are a hard thing to extinguish. Women are not the only ones that feel masked into their gender roles. We see more and more men in makeup campaigns.”

Men are viewed as prominent figures in our society. They are the breadwinners, the patriarch and the all American.

Men have also been swept into the thinking of gender roles. Millennial men have displayed softer attributes that would be described as “women hobbies” like cooking, painting and fashion design. What was, and in some cases still, is deemed as a “woman’s attribute” has let men swap their briefcases for aprons all while still being considered masculine.

Progressive, I do think so.

Men have had a hard time with gender roles as well. Falling out of what is norm can take a toll on someone that is the patriarch of a family.

“It’s hard for a man to embrace his femininity and feelings without getting harassed or having his masculinity threatened,” said Corrall. “As a society we see masculinity as the standard or ideal.” In recent decades men are becoming more accepted of stepping out of their gender role cocoon and turning into progressive and equal butterflies.”

With traditions always playing tug of war, I do feel that as a society we are stepping into being more progressive in gender roles. Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go to until we can say we are truly equal.