Planned Parenthood: The Stereotypes Of Women

According to the latest data from the US Department of Labor, 57% of women participate in the workforce as opposed to 52% in 1980. More women are also participating in athletics, higher education, and politics. However, the results of a psychological study from New Jersey has found that gender stereotyping and classic roles are just as strong today as they were three decades ago. Based on the definition from study.com, gender stereotypes can be described as over-generalizations about the characteristics of an entire group based on gender. For example, the gender stereotype and role of women is that they are supposed to be shy, submissive, and do the cooking and cleaning. Men, on the other hand, are generally expected to be the ones to make money, be more physically strong, and do the fixing of the household according to their gender stereotype. The study- taking place in both 1983

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a gender role is defined as the role or behavior learned by a person as appropriate to their gender, determined by the prevailing cultural norms. In modern day America, gender roles have been slowly dissolving, but nonetheless is still very much relevant. In our society, women have the capability of doing everything a man can do, but, in the eyes of some, women are still seen as the inferior gender. In general, women are still associated with the responsibilities of taking care of the household and the children. They are also perceived as being fragile and submissive. On the other hand, men are associated with being the primary breadwinner and were viewed as being strong and brave. In most civilizations, these associations have been and

Women have been downgraded and mistreated because of their gender. From birth, Women and Men grew up with very different rules to follow. Men were raised to be the head of the house and do work for a living. Growing up as little girls, women were taught to raise their kids and make food for their families. “Strong family structures were necessary because the family was the basis for all other institutions. The government, church, and community all worked through the nuclear family unit.”(“Gender and

Gender roles are the roles that men and women are expected to occupy based on their sex. Traditionally, many Western societies have believed that women are more nurturing then men . . . . One way that a woman might engage in the traditional feminine gender role would be to nurture her family by working full-time within the home rather than taking employment outside of the home. (Blackstone)

What is a gender role? It is the behaviors that are considered acceptable for people based on their sex. Throughout history, societies have constructed gender roles. As times change, roles tend to change. In the twenty-first century, American society has created the role of women being great academics and men only being athletes. This has not always been true in the past. Although America is not perfect, it is working on intellectual and physical equality.

The pro-choice movement is a sociopolitical movement that supports the view that a woman has a right to terminate her pregnancy. In the United States, the pro-choice movement is led by a variety of organizations, with no central decision making body. While these groups have different agendas, they collectively use propaganda in order to communicate with certain demographics and influence support for their cause.

There many misconceptions when it comes down to speaking about Planned Parenthood. The most common misconception is that the agency only performs abortions and they sell the tiny body parts after. Another misconception is that Planned Parenthood regards funding. Many believe that the funding that Planned Parenthood receives, only goes towards paying for abortions. Other misconceptions about Planned Parenthood are: Many believe that defunding Planned Parenthood will cause a decrease of abortions, Planned Parenthood only serves teenagers and prostitutes, we do not need Planned Parenthood.

Gender roles, also known as gender stereotypes, are things to be considered appropriate to certain men or women and we are constantly surrounded by them without even realizing it. Cultural gender roles in America have changed over time, from when Disney animated films were first released. Women were only housewives at those times, they were responsible for cooking, cleaning, taking care of their kids, and other housework while the husband took care of

“Stereotypes are categories that constrain and shape what a person believes about, and expects from, other people” (Bartlett 1910). The workplace is one of the most active environments for women to be stereotyped against. Women are judged in ways such as being weaker than, and not as active as a man. This can be a problem for a woman in a male dominated occupation by making them feel, or seem, not as valuable as a man. For example, women in the police field will face the struggle of being seen as weaker, gentler, and to submissive to fight crime compared to men. This type of behavior leads to women not receiving much earned promotions, and having more struggles applying to male dominating jobs.

“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of a women begins when the doctor says, ‘It's a girl!’” Women are forced to conform to a set place in society, and the pressure they feel to conform starts when they are born.

Being a female in a male-dominate occupation is not an easy task (Flanagan, 2009). Many women are seen as fragile or less likely to get the job done. Women are also seen as having no business within a male-dominated profession. Much of the stereotypes are caused by: women having small frames and seen as not being able to effectively defend herself if attacked by criminals. Men also think that women could be easily coerced (Nicholas, 2012). Many men also believe that women are too emotional in which may lead to

Throughout history, humans have always been expected to act a certain way depending on their sex. These societal expectations are called gender roles. (Rathus, 2010, p.447). These roles begin to develop even before a child is even out of the womb. A mother may decorate their nursery pink if they are having a daughter because “girls like pink,” and “boys like blue.” Gender roles should not be confused with gender stereotypes. A gender stereotype is a narrow way of thinking about how men and woman are obligated to behave. For example, men have always been considered to be the breadwinners of the family. Females, on the other hand, are seen more as the gentle homemakers that stay home to clean and take care of the children. (Rathus, 2010, p.447). These types of stereotypes have caused certain out-of-the-home jobs to be mainly categorized for either women or men, causing an even more distinct line between the genders.

Stereotyping can come in many different forms and have many different subjects. One form of stereotyping is of gender. Just about everyone holds stereotypes of women and men – some positive and some negative. Women are more empathic and talkative; men are more competent and aggressive. For example, are women really “more empathic” than men? Which women? Empathic toward whom? When women’s and men’s actual behavior is observed systematically under a variety of conditions, the sexes do not differ in having feelings of empathy or in its expression (book, p. 365). Social pressures influence how we conform to these stereotypes, however it does create a problem when people are victimized by the negative stereotypes of their gender or group. There are different connotations that can be identified when stereotyping: positive, women are better caregivers and men are better breadwinners or money makers. These positive connotations can be taken negative towards the other gender or even their own gender – men can be caretakers too and women can make money. In the early 1900’s there was a high discrimination towards women, women entering the work force worked in factory lines, while men worked management which resulted in lower pay for women kept the men in charge. Over the years gender roles have taken a turn and there is now a significant increase with women working and taking on management roles. Roles in society are different between genders and those differences either positive or negative will hopefully diminish after time.

Gender roles are the standards set by a society for each of the genders. Most people will not have a problem with the gender roles established but they can be very harmful to some people. Basic gender roles consist of women being associated with the color pink and men being associated with blue. Roles like these set the norms for our society and determine in the long run what is acceptable and not.

From an early age, most people, rather male or female are taught which roles they play in life. Men are commonly known, to be the provider and safety net for a family. While commonly, women are known to be the nurtures and care givers of the family. Each of these pre-conceived notions are defined to be labeled as gender roles. A position played by a person of a certain gender, based off of past history, family orientation, environment and many other things. Female qualities are methods that our way of life, for the most part, takes up with being a young lady or women. Manly attributes are methods that our way of life, as a rule, partners with being a man. Gender Roles