Hi, my name is Megan Yoshioka. I am 21 years old and currently majoring in mass communication with an emphasis in writing and editing. I was born on the Millennial/Gen Z cusp and raised by two Gen Xers in an Adventist household.
About a year ago, my dad and I were listening to a podcast in the car. In that podcast, the speaker strongly advocated for traditional marriage roles where the man is the breadwinner and the woman is the homemaker.
I was annoyed by this position and vocalized my irritation to my dad. He responded to me by asking, “Why?” He stated that there is nothing wrong with traditional marriage roles.
And he was right. There is nothing wrong with traditional marriage roles if that is the lifestyle both spouses agree to live out. I do not have a problem with the role, only the expectation that I should not pursue or prioritize a career outside of homemaking simply because I am female.
Growing up, my family encouraged me to study and work hard. I developed a strong work ethic and have carried it with me into college so I can earn a degree and start a career in writing. I explained to my dad that if I decide to get married in the future, I do not want to give up or be expected to give up a career I have worked so hard to achieve. If I were to give it up, I would feel that all my time, money, and effort would have been wasted by going to college.
My dad then told me that not everyone would agree with my line of thinking. He said that while he was attending Pacific Union College thirty years ago, he knew many women who went to an Adventist college in order to find a husband.
I was surprised by this statement and confused by the word “many.” During my past three years at Southern Adventist University, I have only met one woman who said she wanted to become a wife and mother for her primary career. The majority of women I have met are equally as driven as I am to pursue a career outside of homemaking and motherhood, whether it be in medicine, dentistry, journalism, or graphic design.
My dad and I both realized that a generational gap could have influenced our different views of marriage. This conversation sparked my interest in learning more about different generational values and opinions, especially within the Adventist church. Is there truly a generational divide like my dad and I hypothesized, or were our differences of opinion simply just that?