Was that your experience? Is this the same in all cultures? Did you have a different experience?

In Chapter 4 your textbook author discusses gender, and specifically the issues of inequality in our society. Therefore, I’d like to ask the following questions:
How have gender roles influenced who you are, and how you see yourself? Were you socialized into very rigid gender roles, or encouraged to step “outside” those roles in your life and/or educational goals? Did stereotypical gender roles influence your attendance here at the U of U and perhaps what you are considering as a major?
I was raised in Utah and found that gender expectations were very rigid. Was that your experience? Is this the same in all cultures? Did you have a different experience? There seems to be a lot of pressure in this culture to follow specific roles which can pressure young folks to achieve what some people may feel are unreasonable or limiting goals. How do you feel about this? Are things changing allowing women more equality in education, careers, and wages?