American women traditionally are expected to be affectionate, passive, conforming, sensitive, intuitive, and dependent—“sugar and spice and everything nice.” They are supposed to be concerned primarily with domestic life, to be nurturing, to care for babies and young children, to fuss over their personal appearance, and to be self-sacrificing for their family. They should not appear to be ambitious, aggressive, competitive, or more intelligent than men. They should be ignorant about and uninterested in sports, economics, and politics. Also, they are not supposed to initiate relationships with men but are expected to be tender, feminine, emotional, and appreciative when in those relationships. There are also a number of traditional sex-role expectations for males in our society: a male is expected to be tough, fearless, logical, self-reliant, independent, and aggressive. He should have definite opinions on the major issues of the day
and make authoritative decisions at work and at home. He is expected to be strong, a sturdy oak, and never to be depressed, vulnerable, or anxious. He is not supposed to be a “sissy,” to cry or openly display emotions that suggest vulnerability.
【題組】38 The first paragraph is mainly about _____ .
(A) women in modern society
(B) how to be a housewife
(C) stereotypical expectations of women
(D) the war between women and men