GENDER STEREOTYPES

GENDER STEREOTYPES:-

What is stereotypes:-

In social psychology, a stereotype is an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example, an expectation about the group's personality, preferences, appearance or ability. Stereotypes are sometimes overgeneralized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information, but can sometimes be accurate.

While such generalizations about groups of people may be useful when making quick decisions, they may be erroneous when applied to particular individuals and are among the reasons for prejudice attitudes.

5 COMMON TYPE OF STEREOTYPES:-

▪︎RACIAL:-

One of the more common stereotype examples is stereotypes surrounding race. For example, saying that all Blacks are good at sports is a stereotype, because it's grouping the race together to indicate that everyone of that race is a good athlete.

▪︎CULTURES:-

Stereotypes also exist about cultures an countries as a whole. Stereotype examples of this sort include the premises that:

• Mexican stereotypes suggest that all Mexicans are lazy and came into America illegally.

• All Arabs and Muslims are terrorists.

• All people who live in England have bad teeth.

• Italian or French people are the best lovers.

• All Blacks outside of the United States are poor.

▪︎GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS:-

A different type of stereotype also involves grouping of individuals. Skaters, Goths, Gangsters, and Preps are a few examples.

• Goths wear black clothes, black makeup, are depressed and hated by society.

• All politicians are philanders and think only of personal gain and benefit.

• All teenagers are rebels.

• The elderly have health issues and behave like children.

▪︎SEXUAL STEREOTYPES:-

Sexual stereotypes, on the other hand, suggest that any feminine man is gay and any masculine woman is a lesbian. Those who believe gay stereotypes may also believe that homosexuality is immoral, wrong and an abomination.

▪︎GENDER STEREOTYPES:-

Gender stereotyping is defined as an overgeneralization of characteristics, differences and attributes of a certain group based on their gender. Gender stereotypes create widely accepted biases about certain characteristics or traits and perpetuate the notion that each gender and associated behaviors are binary.  Under this assumption,r. i If a man or a woman act differently from how their gender is expected to behave there is a disconnect in the evaluator’s mind.  As our society moves to a broader construct of what “gender means,” individuals who are stuck in this binary idea of gender have a difficult time wrapping their brains around individuals who do not fit into a strict gender dichotomy, or do not identify with any gender at all.

Traditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry and have children. She is also to put her family's welfare before her own; be loving, compassionate, caring, nurturing, and sympathetic; and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. The male stereotypic role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive, competitive, independent, courageous, and career‐focused; hold his emotions in check; and always initiate sex. These sorts of stereotypes can prove harmful; they can stifle individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth.

The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that children learn gender stereotypes from adults. As with gender roles, socializing agents—parents, teachers, peers, religious leaders, and the media—pass along gender stereotypes from one generation to the next.

• In the workplace:-

Gender stereotypes can disadvantage women during the hiring process. It is one explanation for the lack of women in key organizational positions. Management and similar leader positions are often perceived to be "masculine" in type, meaning they are assumed to require aggressiveness, competitiveness, strength and independence. These traits do not line up with the perceived traditional female gender role stereotype.

One's performance at work is also evaluated based on one's gender. If a female and a male worker show the same performance, the implications of that performance vary depending on the person's gender and on who observes the performance; if a man performs exceedingly well he is perceived as driven or goal-oriented and generally seen in a positive light while a woman showing a similar performance is often described using adjectives with negative connotations. Female performance is therefore not evaluated neutrally or unbiased and stereotyped in ways to deem their equivalent levels and quality of work as instead of lesser value.

Consequently, that gender stereotype filter leads to a lack of fair evaluation and, in turn, to fewer women occupying higher paying positions. Gender stereotypes contain women at certain, lower levels; getting trapped within the glass ceiling. While the number of women in the workforce occupying management positions is slowly increasing, women currently fill only 2.5% of the higher managerial positions in the United States. The fact that most women are being allocated to occupations that pay less, is often cited as a contributor to the existing gender pay gap.

• Economical and social consequence:-

The pet stereotype is given to women who are identified as helpmates, cheerleaders, or mascots, which then leads the audience to see these women as naive or weak and unable to lead without a man's help. If a professional woman is seen as a mother, she is more likely to be seen as compassionate and caring, but also has the capacity to be shrew, punishing, and scolding. Additionally, it is possible for her leadership abilities to be called into question due to perceived conflicts with her maternal responsibilities. The fourth stereotype, seductress, is assigned to women who speak and act rather femininely, or have been victims of sexual harassment. The media tends to focus on the seductress woman's sex appeal and physical appearance in opposition to her policy stances and rhetoric.

ITS AFFECT:-

Gender stereotype is therefore harmful when it limits the capacity of women and men to develop their personal attributes or professional skills and to take decisions about their lives and plans. 

Gender stereotypes affect girls around the world regardless of their country's level of development and are encouraged by society at large, from parents to teachers. And although some may consider this trivial, it has very detrimental consequences for girls from a very early age reducing their aspirations and limiting their career option.

Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children's interests, girls begin to feel less intelligent than boys from the age of six.

HOW TO STOP IT:-

The seed of stereotypes is shown in education, and education is where the solution lies. Curricula,  textbooks and teacher training programmes should be periodically reviewed to ensure that gender stereotypes are not perpetuated and apprenticeship programs, tutorials, networks or scholarship should be considered to promote and encourage the incorporation of women into STEM fields.

Within schools, the role of teachers become essential when it comes to providing quality, gender neutral education that promotes students welfare and respect for professional standard. Teachers should act against inequality inside and outside the classroom:

Be aware of sexism Question certain stereotypes that we take as normal but which in reality are social constructions.

Deal with the issue of equality without complexes Ignore third-party criticism or pressure in addressing equality issues.

 Join forces for equal education the more people involved in this type of education, the more effective it will be.

Think literally Reinforce children in their preferences regardless of whether or not they correspond to what the stereotypes makes us expect.

 The female volunteers offer their time to go into school's and explain their jobs to the youngster what they are passionate about in their work or what obstacles they encountered during their career development In short, the aim is to showcase female role models that can become source of inspiration for the women of tomorrow.