084 - Skipping Traditional Gender Roles: Maia and Travis

Today's episode is our first interview about gender roles.

I recently read an article by the Science Fiction Writer, David J Schwartz called Masculinity Is An Anxiety Disorder. It lays out a very compelling argument that the elements of masculinity that we men are expected to live up to in Western society, are utterly unattainable, and in many cases self-contradictory. And yet we all hold ourselves to this unachievable standard, thereby setting ourselves up for failure.

Of course this goes for women as well. Gender is without question one of the most unexamined and yet prevalent boxes that we all stuff ourselves into. Some might say that gender itself is biologically dictated, and that may be true or it may not, but either way, the roles and the behaviors that we expect to associate with our genders are subjective.

Our guests this week, Maia and Travis, allow us to take a gentle first look at the issue of gender. These two have a marriage that follows a fairly nontraditional structure, but it’s nothing that you haven't heard of before. What's instructive about these two is the ease with which they each take on their nontraditional roles in the family. More importantly it’s the genuine happiness and satisfaction that they take from living life the way they want that we can all learn something from.

If you’d like to learn more about Maia and Travis, you can check out their website at:

http://bitteshop.com/, their online children’s store focusing on sustainability and small batch artisinal brands. Maia’s very well known Pinterest profile can be found at: https://www.pinterest.com/maia_mcdonald/

And don’t forget to check our sponsor for today’s episode: Little Bird, the independent diamond & engagement ring experts. The best way to buy an engagement ring ​is with a bird's eye view. You can find them at littlebirdtoldyou.com

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