As someone who is part of what I consider to be a fairly gender-neutral marriage, I am frequently offended when eating out when my partner is presented with the check, as if I don’t contribute to our household income as much as he does (and at times, more). That’s why I found this article to be so interesting:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/08gend.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Even though it will continue to offend me when I am passed over for the check, or I’m treated differently, I guess I can’t blame the restaurant owners/managers, when it seems like the majority of their clientele is still subscribing to a more traditional gender role model. Perhaps this also explains why in some restaurants the changing tables are only available in the women’s restrooms, too.
This response on Feministing sums up how I feel about all of this pretty well:
http://www.feministing.com/archives/011505.html
Despite being able to understand where the restaurants are coming from, I have to admit that this isn’t going to stop me from yelling so the staff can hear me when I’m stuck changing my two-year-old because they don’t think men should have to be a parent.