What is the equivalent stereotype of 'women should all be homemakers,' for men?
I figured a close stereotype for men, would be that they should all be farmers. The thing is, there are under two million farmers in the US as of 2023. So statistically, an equivalent occupation/role should have a larger number.
Men should be the breadwinners, men should be the one to ask the woman out, men should pay for the first date, men have to be the ones who propose, men should be 6 feet tall... It sucks especially if you're an introvert, shy, and nobody ever explained this shit to you as a teenager. Therapy ftw.
The most direct I can think of is that men should be the sole breadwinner of their family, and that if his wife earns more than him (or even has a job at all) then that's some kind of failing on his part.
There are many other similar stereotypes. For example:
That men have an obligation to defend their/their significant other's 'honor' with violence.
That men shouldn't cry or otherwise show strong emotion under nearly any circumstance.
Men shouldn't want to interact with children, especially other people's kids.
Have to be a raging bull of testosterone and manly interests while also being a round the clock worker to be a breadwinner and also being a father figure to any children in your life on demand
No wait I know the answer to this one....
If you have a penis, you should be able to use tools competently and perform basic maintenance and repairs. I learned this just by watching cartoons and tv when I was a child so I taught myself all that stuff just because I thought you were assumed to. I now take $75+ per hour from men who cant figure out how a screwdriver works. I am virtual husband to many women who married paper shufflers who can't even tighten a loose doorknob screw.
Men should all be working on the railroad like John Henry; the manliest man that ever man'd. He's so much of a man, he beat a machine. And then promptly died.
War. Coal mine. Oil rig. None of which should even exist IMO, but that's a different debate. I'll respect somebody wanting that lifestyle even if idgi at all but there's a buuuunch of people out there wanting a partner to do all the trad shit while they do fuckall trad shit. And the modern stuff they're doing is always all the worst and least fun. They're exactly the kind of people that would die of a diet-related illness despite never having looked at a spice rack.
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!
The direct analogue would be "men should single handedly provide income to support a family". So not farming necessarily, but men are pressured to be something other than just men, they get defined by their jobs more. Be a businessman, a farmer, a soldier. Women get defined more by their relationships to other people - a mom, a wife. Both of these are problematic in their own way.
Men should pour all their energy into their job, so they can earn money to support their family with. Men should not worry about spending enough time with their children, as working hard is the best way to show them that you care about them. Besides, being with children is what women are there for.
The result of this idea is that there are now a metric fuckton of movies about workaholic dads who don’t show up to their sons’ baseball games, only for contrived magical realism events to change their minds and convince them that family is more important.