AGE AND GENDER IN DIFFERENT CULTURES

Chapter 11

Relationships between elders and children

• In some cultures, elders and young people are close and shares many things, such as experiences. Elders are respected in many cultures.
• Many children live, or are looked after by their grandparents. They spend a lot of time together. Sometimes children looks after the grandparents if they are sick.
• Many grandparents looks after their grandchildren when the parents goes to work. Sometimes, they would look after other children as well and gets paid to do this so that there is an extra income.
• In some cultures, older people don’t get to spend time with their grown-up children or grandchildren because they are placed in a old-age home. Their children and friends would then visit them there.

Responsibilities and contributions of males and females in different cultures

• In some cultures where families depend on the land, males would take care of animals, while females would plant crops and fetch water.
• Some families let the boys and girls do all of the same chores. Older brothers and sisters would look after their younger siblings.
• In the past, men would do all of the hard, difficult jobs. And women would stay at home to look after the house and the children. Today women are involved in all sorts of jobs that are complicated and challenging.