gender norms

This week my partner is out of town so I visited his mother, aunt and
niece for mothers day dinner. It is a rare occurrence when I visit them
and do not help in some way around the house. Tonight was no
exception. I assembled a trampoline and fixed some recurring problems
on a cellphone and the home computer. As I was in the back office I
overheard a comment between the adults about "we can't fix that stuff
because we are women." i think i yelled a comment from the back room
and said something to the effect of "it has nothing to do with you
being a woman" And told them this is exactly what I have been learning
about in class. I immediately started a conversation with them in
regards to this thought process and tried to share with them what I
have learned in sociology this quarter. I tried to convey that it
isn't the fact that they are women, that it isn't their gender at all
but merely the social constructs and norms they were brought up with
and carry with them. I challenged them to look at these beliefs as
limiting to their lives, and hope they do not teach these to my young
niece who is now just 9 years old. My hope is that we can all spread
some of what we learn in class this year and open someones eyes
to possibilities...