Reflection

For my Extended Inquiry assignment, I researched double standards that affect men in
their everyday lives. I chose this subject because I have experienced double standards affecting
myself and women, and it is a topic I feel extremely strongly about. Its my belief that every
double standard, regardless of which gender is being discriminated against, is absolutely
unacceptable. While at the beginning of my research I did feel this way, I wasnt aware of the
discrimination that men faced specifically. At the end of this, I truly believe that some of the
standards that males are held to are just as unacceptable as the ones that females, myself
included, are held to. As with many situations, you cant truly understand something until you
see it through anothers eyes. After conducting a couple of interviews, I felt I understood more
about my research topic, but it wasnt until I read an article on Emma Watsons speech at the UN
that I felt like I knew why I was writing this paper.

When I began researching, I was concerned that I wouldnt find enough resources. In
todays society, double standards for men arent recognized as valid issues, most likely due to the
attention the feminist movement commands. I knew that this wasnt a scientific subject, so I had
to figure out a way to get the information I needed without using studies or textbooks. My
sources happened to be the complete opposite of what is usually encouraged when it comes to
research. I chose to include several blogs that accurately summarized instances where men felt
like they were being discriminated against. Peoples experiences arent a scientific study and
cant technically be proven, so in my research I relied on other forms of information. However,

blogs were not the only sources I found. In order to personalize the information and make it a
little more relatable, I did a couple of interviews where I asked two freshmen at UNC Charlotte
to explain their experiences with double standards. In these interviews, I learned about double
standards in sports and in certain majors. These interviews made discrimination in education and
lifestyles very apparent. In one article by Leo DAngelo Fisher, I learned about the other side of
workplace discrimination. This was an article that I thought was extremely important, and I will
discuss further in my reflection on how that prompted me to tweak my general search criteria.
Another article I found discussed the altercation between Hope Solo and her significant other and
examined the double standard on domestic violence, which is another huge issue that is receiving
more attention in todays society. In my research, I happened upon two social experiments on
youtube. Each one showcased a couple in a fight in public, with one gender yelling at and
pushing their partner around, and the reactions were extremely different from the audiences.
When the man abused the woman, many people stepped in to yell at or hit the man themselves.
However when the woman abused the man, she was encouraged. Weve been taught that its so
wrong to hit females yet we ignore the fact that its wrong to hit anyone, especially someone that
we claim to love. In my opinion, the best source I found was an article discussing Emma
Watsons speech last year at the UN on gender equality. She finally helped the public understand
that double standards are an issue for everyone. While this is a more simple, understated piece, it
helped to reach a broader audience and make them understand that the feminist movement isnt
the only movement we should be supporting. Overall, I found my most useful information in
opinion-based interviews and blogs, because personal testimonies taught me a few things about
double standards and ultimately determine the quality and impact of this research paper.

There was one source specifically that made me decide to broaden my criteria from just
double standards that my age group has experienced or is currently experiencing. Originally, I
wasnt going to research double standards in the workplace. But when I came across this article
that showed the other side of career-related double standards, I realized that attention needed to
be drawn to the issue. In most cases, this discussion is in reference towards women and the
injustices they face in the business world. However, there are subtle, but still important injustices
directed towards men. In business, men have to act a certain way towards their female coworkers
or its considered misogyny and unfair treatment. When men complain of prejudice, it is blown
off because the focus is on women and the inequalities they face. Although originally I wasnt
planning on including careers in the workplace in my research, this article has opened my eyes
more to double standards that men face. Although it is true that women do not pay much
attention to gender inequality affecting men, I didnt realize that it was such an issue. I have to
say that this was the most surprising article I found. However, the shocking article on Hope Solo
and how she essentially got away with domestic violence opened my eyes even further. I also
read a few articles on similar cases where women abusing men was shown to be more
acceptable, which I think is a horrible and wrong example to set. This isnt just an unacceptable
double standard, but a morally and lawfully wrong one as well.

When developing my final essay, I used essentially the same writing process as I would
with any other paper at the beginning, but I put way more effort into editing and tweaking than I
normally would. First, I examined all of my sources and looked for the best way to start my

paper and decided how to flow into each new paragraph and topic. After that, I began to write the
first draft of my final essay. I wrote a little bit here and there until I felt satisfied with the
information I was presenting, and then heavily edited my paper. After editing, I went over every
question or piece of information I was required to have in the finished product and made sure
that everything I needed to have was in the final essay to make sure I was setting myself up to
succeed. To make my paper the best I possibly could, I had one of my sisters on our scholarship
board read over it and give me her feedback, and edited it one last time. Once I had completed all
of these steps, I felt satisfied and comfortable with my final essay.

While I generally find peer reviews to be helpful and constructive, I think that it was hard
to tell someone what they should or should not include in a paper when each person had little to
no prior knowledge of each others topic. After all, we are writing a paper on something that we
dont understand. Due to our similarities as a class, there is a good chance that most of our
research will include something others will not understand as well. The most helpful aspect of
the peer review was the question session, because I was having difficulty with how I should
narrow down my search and research my subject. Beyond that, I felt like the best way to edit my
paper was relying on myself since I had all of the information. I also think that many people
went into the peer reviews having a very good idea of what they wanted their final essays to say,
and ultimately it didnt matter what others thought of the way they went about their research
paper.

This project has been extremely different than any other research paper I have done. In
high school, I did many research papers where I was given a topic to research and detailed
directions on exactly how to go about the paper. This paper was very different in the sense that
we were given a lot of creative freedom to write how we wanted, which is my favorite aspect of
this class. For the first time, I was able to pick a topic that I actually wanted to research and learn
about- and I didnt have to do parenthetical citations. This highlights one of the most important
things Ive learned this semester, that writing does not have to be black and white like we are
taught in high school. Throughout assignments where we were always encouraged to focus on
the material and not necessarily just the grammar, I believe that I re-learned how to write and
actually enjoy it. I think that the specific form of writing were taught in school can be
beneficial, but I also think that harnessing creative capability and encouraging material-focused
writing can ultimately produce a better writer.