by Maggie Miller

Created on: May 27, 2009

Tonight I went out for drinks and diner cuisine with Shar and her coworker. Prior to the outing, Shar had informed me that her coworker, whose name was Gina, had recently been asked by her husband of almost one year if they could pursue an open relationship. Devastated, she reluctantly agreed. After all, they'd dated for almost twelve years and loved each other enough to get married. Besides, she'd reasoned, "at least he was honest with me and didn't just go and cheat on me".

When it comes to cheating and open relationships, it seems that men are more likely to initiate the adulterous behavior or suggest a switch from monogamy to polygamy. And most women are willing to forgive and forget, or acquiesce to the guy's suggestion. When did this become typical, accepted behavior?

You can argue that our society is and has always been a patriarchy, where men have laid down the rules since our Cro-Magnon years and continued to flex the power muscle despite all the recent assertions that society is finally overcoming the gender disparity and women are securing more prominent roles in the workforce. We all remember the archaic adultery rules condemning women to punishment and death for having extramarital relations. We've read The Scarlet Letter and we've mused over Henry VIII and his six wives and myriad affairs, and we know it was Hester Prynne who bore the burden of her actions (not her partner in crime) and Anne Boleyn who was executed (while Henry did the do with his new interest, Jane). Men have always maintained dominant roles in society and in relationships. Women were treated as property and traded as dowry, and while we flinch at this recollection it's important to note that similar customs are still in effect in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

So sure, we've established a more equal premise in the workplace, instituted sexual harassment laws, and heralded the feminist movement as a major victory for womankind. But something is still out of place.

Our society is still clouded with patriarchal addendums, and the media propagates the old stereotypes, cementing residue of the old power structure in contemporary society. Look at the movies. Women are viewed as clingy monogamists, begging their reluctant boyfriends to commit to a life of marriage, which translates to no sex, no beer, no guys' nights, no football, no feet on the coffee table. Men are portrayed as disengaged, laid back, lazy slobs who garner respect and applause for doing a hot lady. And any

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