Gender stereotypes

So, what are gender stereotypes?

Gender stereotypes are ideas about how members of a certain gender should be or should behave.

They typically consider gender in binary terms (male/female and feminine/masculine).

  • Gender -refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.
  • Stereotypes – a widely held but fixed image or idea that we hold of a particular type of person or thing.
  • Prejudice -is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
  • Discrimination– treating some people differently from others. People may be discriminated against because of age, gender, sexual orientation, status, religion or colour.

What and where influences our views?

Family, friends, culture, societal and social media all influence our views. Social media gives everyone the platform to have an opinion. People may have already held these views before but now they are written, viewed, shared and commented on by the world

 

Types of gender stereotypes

A gender stereotype is a pre conceived notion of someone based upon their gender. They often lead to prejudices that unfairly affect how you perceive and interact with people.

 

Types of Gender Stereotypes:

  • Personality: Assuming men or women have a certain personality.
  • Domestic Life: Assuming men or women have different roles in the family.
  • Occupation: Assuming men are better at some professions and women are better at others.
  • Physical: Assuming women and men should dress in certain ways.

Examples of Gender stereotypes

  • Women Stereotypes: Women should be caregivers, women should be passive, women are weak, women are too emotional.
  • Men Stereotypes: Men are unemotional, men are natural leaders, men are good at maths, Boys will be Boys

A good example maybe that men are doctors and women are nurses.

Masculinity / Femininity

  • Masculinity refers to a set of cultural and social norms associated with characteristics typically attributed to men, such as physical strength, assertiveness and independence. It often encompasses traits like competitiveness not showing true feelings and a focus more on career than family.
  • Femininity refers to a set of cultural and social norms associated with characteristics typically attributed to women such as nurturing, empathy and gracefulness. It often includes qualities likes emotional intelligence co-operative behaviour and an emphasis on interpersonal relationships.




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