Marriage equality and the bumbling dad

Essayist Terrence Heath explores gender roles in marriage and how marriage equality will help that situation. Of course, conservatives don't want that situation to be helped, which is one reason why they oppose marriage equality.

In particular, marriage equality will counter the idea of gender complementarity, the idea that only a woman can complement a man (and the reverse). What that is really saying is women were born for some tasks and men born for others and a household won't be complete without both of them (and Heath documents who does most of the "household" work). But in a male-male household the tasks are divided up by who likes them, who is better at them, and who has time for them.

Another idea that is targeted by marriage equality is the bumbling dad, that men simply can't do women's work and need to be rescued from his screw-ups.

When Heath was growing up his mother made sure he could cook, launder, and clean. She even taught him how to braid a doll's hair in case he had a daughter. He can now feed and diaper kids with the best of them (and since he has two, he's had lots of practice). That surprises a few women.

Who does what in a household is a cultural norm, not some division of labor we're born into. And marriage equality can redefine those norms.