Woman wiping a window; Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Andrea Piacquadio; Reddit | u/According_Coyote18
There are still many traditional expectations society places on women, even if these beliefs are often outdated or unfair. With a growing focus on creating a more equal world, many women are ready to see these "supposed to" norms disappear. On Reddit, user u/Glad_Diamond_2103 asked, "Which tradition among women would u like to change?" and the responses poured in. Women shared powerful answers about what they’re ready to leave behind, from old-fashioned rules around marriage and appearance to outdated ideas about women’s worth.
A group of women laughing with each other; Representative Image Source: Pexels | Radomir Jordanovic
Responses covered a range of traditions, from giving up hair removal to abandoning the expectation that women should change their last names after marriage. Others expressed a desire to end jealousy and judgment among women, as well as the societal obsession with “drink culture” for women. Many participants also shared how problematic it is when mothers criticize their daughters’ appearances, and called for less emphasis on marriage as an ultimate goal. Here are 25 traditions that women believe are ready for change.
1. Let's keep our last names
Changing your last name when you get married. -u/dichotomousbs
Judging other women’s sexual history. There’s just no need. There’s more than enough misogyny in the world already without us needing to direct it at each other. -u/celestialism
4. Hating each other
Hating other women because they are pretty, or any jealousy between women. We need to be raising each other. No one else understands what women go through the way we do. We need to love each other and keep each other safe. Be a team! -u/udntsay
Mothers being overly critical of their daughters' appearance. -u/searedscallops
6. The 'drink culture'
Drink culture, specifically the kind that surrounds women, where wine appears to be the 'classy woman's drink' and is not viewed as equally unhealthy to other kinds of drinking. Joking about having a glass of wine every night to take the edge off. Making dinners "fancy" by having wine with your girlfriends. Planning wine and dining nights is an excuse to get together because you want a drink in hand. If you enjoy wine, by all means, go for it, but it seems like a lot of women get swept into it because it's a trend and just what women do together. As a non-drinker, I find it frustrating when every social outing has to have wine as the main feature. -u/PancakeQueen13
7. More than the men in our lives
That we are born to complete a man's world. Nope. We are born for our purposes; a man is just an adjunct to that life. -u/Dr__Pheonx
8. The importance given to getting married
The whole big wedding thing. Getting married should not be such a big accomplishment for women, it is ok to celebrate, but it shouldn't be the biggest day of your life. I have met too many women who are so focused on 'getting married' just to make a huge party that they end up accepting any man as a husband, they ignore red flags, they quit their own lives, it is like their only wish in life is wearing white and cutting the cake. It is sad to see how we turned what should be a simple ceremony into a big show. -u/onlytexts
Housewife stereotype. If I work too, we split the household chores 50/50 - I'm not doing everything. This is as much your house as mine, so you better pull your weight. Or we can hire someone to get a robot vacuum/mop - I don't care, but I'm not doing everything. If I wanted to do everything, I'd just live on my own then. -u/According_Coyote18
10. All the Thanksgiving cooking
Stop cooking on Thanksgiving and forcing your daughters to help. I’m so tired of Thanksgiving and tired of the fact that my mom and I had to cook for like ten to fifteen people and none of them brought anything… or if they did, it was chips and pop. My aunts would watch my mom and I cook a whole Thanksgiving meal, and all the men just sat around talking about how they were masters of the universe. And then we were also responsible for cleaning up the dinner as well. So screw Thanksgiving. -u/Teddy_OMalie64
11. The idea that only women cook
That women have to be the ones to cook. My mother couldn't fathom that my brother cooked after work since 'it should be his wife's job.' She came around when I met my husband. He works as a cook and also cooks at home. -u/WrestlingWoman
12. Giving children the dad's last name
Giving children the father’s last name. Women go through 9 months of suffering and then have to push the baby out. Why the hell would the baby get HIS last name? My son has mine and all future children will have mine. It’s a hill I’ll die on. -u/Greedy_Principal_342
16. There should be a choice when it comes to kids
Having kids. I wish all young girls could grow up learning and realizing they’re allowed to have a choice in the matter and it’s okay to have kids just as much as it’s okay to not have kids. -u/CutePandaMiranda
Mother-in-law hating on daughter-in-law and women being judged for the same qualities as a man. -u/devilsqueen13
18. The idea that women are each other's worst enemies
'A woman's worst enemy is another woman.' HELL NO. My female friends have saved my soul multiple times. -u/deekius
19. Bonding over diets
Bonding over doing diets together. Would I love to buddy system in building healthier habits? Absolutely!! Let’s sign up for a 5k, start hiking, do a yoga class, or start potlucking instead of eating out. I’m not going to starve myself with you or join you in talking about how 'bad' we’re being because we *clutch the pearls* are eating french fries. -u/saillavee
20. Putting other women down
Toxic Gossiping/ putting other women down. -u/AllyV45
Wearing makeup. I genuinely cannot stand wearing it, so I cringed whenever I let my mother bully me into putting it on me for a special event or whatever. I hate the way it feels on my eyelashes and I get the constant urge to lick my lips. It bothers me even more if someone says, 'Oh, I barely recognized you with the makeup on!' as if that’s a compliment. To me, it is an insult and direct implication that I’m ugly without makeup. -u/FlowerNamesLover
22. The need for women to stay looking young forever
Women are expected to stay looking young forever, while men are allowed to age normally. I'm on a team with a few guys that are the same age as me - late 30s - and one in particular has gotten noticeably grayer in the last couple of years, as have I. But no one is saying to him, 'Oh, I love that you're not coloring your hair' like they do to me. All the female executives at the company I work for are 50's and up and they all have perfectly dyed and highlighted hair. But the men of the same age range don't! -u/dianacakes
23. Hating men
Modern tradition is to hate men or compete against them; life is so much more pleasant when we understand and accept our differences. -u/RumNRaisins1999
24. The thing with shaming
Slut-shaming, mum-shaming, criticizing childfree women, not challenging male authorities. -u/olija_oliphant
Couple standing against a sunset; Representative Image Source: Pexels | Rodrigo Souza
25. The need to seek a romantic partner
Assuming a woman needs to be actively seeking a romantic partner at all times. Also, compulsory heterosexuality. -u/WickedWitchoftheNE
Share on Facebook
