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Key TakeawaysSocietal norms emphasize traditional benchmarks, such as marriage and kids, as a sign of success for women.Other accomplishments often aren’t met with the same level of support.Conversations with loved ones and internal reflections can aid in combatting these patterns.

Key Takeaways

Societal norms emphasize traditional benchmarks, such as marriage and kids, as a sign of success for women.Other accomplishments often aren’t met with the same level of support.Conversations with loved ones and internal reflections can aid in combatting these patterns.

As a woman, certain milestones will always garner emphatic excitement: Engagement, marriage, and babies. A simple post on social media announcing any of these events will bring response after response of “congrats” courtesy of everyone from your close aunt to someone you haven’t talked to in ten years. “Look at you,” their support appears to say, “You’re doing what you’re supposed to do. We couldn’t be prouder.”

The weight and excitement put towards thesetraditional paths for womenare often much more significant than their accomplishments in any other area. Yet, women are so much more than their ability to find a partner and reproduce. AsLittle Women’sJo March said best: “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for.”

Before diving into the societal and internal issues of emphasizing women’s familial accomplishments, it’s necessary to clarify something. None of this is to say these are not milestones worth striving for and celebrating. It is solely to say that they are not the only thing to applaud women for and that they are not required steps, whether on a specific timeline or ever, for her to have a happy, fulfilling, and successful life.

“Our society does a great job of communicating that women must adhere to the guidelines of a strict, heteronormative gender binary and meet specific benchmarks to be valued in society,” saysSaba Harouni Lurie, LMFT, ATR-BC, the owner and founder of Take Root Therapy. “Getting married and having children are norms in our society. They are socially prescribed benchmarks many will embrace without a second thought.”

Modern women are building on generations of work pushing back against these norms. According to thePew Research Center, unpartnered women ages 25 to 54 increased from 29% in 1990 to 36% in 2021. The same timeframe and age group also saw the amount of all married adults decrease from 67% to 53%.

Saba Harouni Lurie, LMFTOur society does a great job of communicating that women must adhere to the guidelines of a strict, heteronormative gender binary and meet specific benchmarks to be valued in society.

Saba Harouni Lurie, LMFT

Our society does a great job of communicating that women must adhere to the guidelines of a strict, heteronormative gender binary and meet specific benchmarks to be valued in society.

However, this doesn’t come without feelings ofstressaround acting untraditional. “There is a lot of research that points to the impact of comparison being correlated with feelings of fear, shame, and guilt.Comparison impacts how we love ourselves and rarely considers personal experience,” saysKiana Shelton, a licensed clinical social worker withMindpath Health. “Life paths are just as unique as our fingerprints, and there is no one direct or correct path.”

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Reaffirming Your Path To Yourself

Take time to regularly confirm to yourself why these paths are right for you. “Given how our society operates, you may often feel misunderstood, and others may challenge your timeline,” says Lurie. “Staying connected to your beliefs and vision and validating your own choices will hopefully help you navigate any challenging situations or relationships.”

Lurie further recommends looking for like-minded individuals for support. These people may be your coworkers and already existing friends, or it may require reaching out to new groups, such as communities in your field.

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Talking To Loved Ones About Your Priorities

You’ll never be able to change other people’s beliefs and statements entirely. With that said, talking to people in your life about the goals that matter to you—especially if their attitude is negative—might make a difference.

A redirect can also work. When someone asks when you’re settling down, try, “I appreciate your interest in myfamily planning, but this isn’t the right time to discuss. I would love to tell you more about my upcoming backpacking trip in Europe, though,” saysAngela Sitka, a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Angela Sitka, LMFTBe curious and ask questions about a woman’s priorities, wants, desires and needs rather than assuming you know what is important to them.

Angela Sitka, LMFT

Be curious and ask questions about a woman’s priorities, wants, desires and needs rather than assuming you know what is important to them.

At the same time, don’t assume they’re acting with malicious intent. Open up the conversation with something like, “I feel hesitant to share good news with you,” says Shelton. “It creates an opportunity for you to share how your professional advancements or travel adventures seem to be downplayed because you don’t have kids or are not married. Often the people in our lives will be shocked to receive this information.”

Another tactic is acknowledging that they come from a place of concern, but you would rather talk about X things you’ve accomplished instead, adds Sitka. It’s less confrontational and changes the subject.

Tips for Dealing With Awkward Conversations

How To Confront Your Own Societal Biases

Odds are you’re not entirely off the hook with perpetuating these narratives either—internalized societal bias can be deeply ingrained. With that in mind, evaluate the message your actions and words, or lack thereof, send. One considerable aspect of this is removing the assumption every woman you meet wants partners and children in the future. Ask them instead about their plans generally, says Lurie.

Furthermore, help remove the idea that a partner is the most crucial relationship in a person’s life. “Being thoughtful about including a wider range of women’s social community to gatherings could be an easy but effective way of showing you recognize women who are in various stages of life,” says Sitka.

“For instance, invitations to weddings or parties could include allowing women to bring the important people in their life—best friends, close colleagues, siblings—instead of only significant others.”

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2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cislaghi B, Heise L.Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science.Sociol Health Illn. 2020;42(2):407-422. doi:10.1111/1467-9566.13008Johnson, B. (2021).Look up, look down: Articulating inputs and outputs of social media social comparison.Journal of Communication Technology, 2019;4(1). doi:10.51548/joctec-2021-003

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cislaghi B, Heise L.Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science.Sociol Health Illn. 2020;42(2):407-422. doi:10.1111/1467-9566.13008Johnson, B. (2021).Look up, look down: Articulating inputs and outputs of social media social comparison.Journal of Communication Technology, 2019;4(1). doi:10.51548/joctec-2021-003

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Cislaghi B, Heise L.Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science.Sociol Health Illn. 2020;42(2):407-422. doi:10.1111/1467-9566.13008Johnson, B. (2021).Look up, look down: Articulating inputs and outputs of social media social comparison.Journal of Communication Technology, 2019;4(1). doi:10.51548/joctec-2021-003

Cislaghi B, Heise L.Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science.Sociol Health Illn. 2020;42(2):407-422. doi:10.1111/1467-9566.13008

Johnson, B. (2021).Look up, look down: Articulating inputs and outputs of social media social comparison.Journal of Communication Technology, 2019;4(1). doi:10.51548/joctec-2021-003

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