Richardson's 'Gender Steretyping In The English Language'

While reading “Gender,” an essay by Jack Halberstam, the topic of sexism was brought to the forefront of my mind. It has been brought up more often in conversation in the modern era, issues such as how a few cruel insults pertain to female reproductive anatomy and, in a sense, degrade females and ultimately identify them, as well as femininity, as inherently “bad”. Such a thought stemmed from how Halberstam touches on the “problematic stabilization of the meaning of ‘women’ and ‘female’”: meaning there is no room for argument when it comes to your gender—you’re either a girl or not. You either fit into a strict mold, or you do not.

Gender stereotypes are common in the United States today, even though many men and women have been working hard to defeat it. The task is made difficult however, when society in general implants the idea of gender roles into the mind of a child. Two authors, Judy Mann of The Difference and Bernard Lefkowitz of Our Guys face the issue of gender roles and stereotypes, and how they affect our lives today.

Female stereotypes come in many forms such as: the way they speak, act, look and things that women are supposed to do. Ann Friedman explains in her article Can We Just, Like, Get Over the Way Women Talk? That women over use some words, (ex. Just, like, and sorry) which send a subtle message of subordination and lack of confidence. Also, women have been told they need to change the way they talk because of this. Additionally, women can’t talk with any authority, because then they are being too pushy. No, one way is a correct way for women to speak due to gender roles. Then, there is the worst insult to a man it’s being called a “girl,” for not measuring up to being a real man. Why is being a girl such a bad thing, why don’t we say your

The author explains to us that many women are subject to subservient functions (Lakoff 46). The roles the sexes play in society have a determination in how they are treated Robin states (Lakoff 46). She tells us about her first hand experiences of this, which cause the reader to sympathize for her (Lakoff 46). The author thinks that we will find two different ways of discrimination women face in language. The author explains the way that women are taught to use language and the way that general language treats them (Lakoff 46). This is where the reader starts to see the problems that women may face. The rhetorical strategy ethos used helps the reader feel for her cause as if it were happening to them first hand. This makes the reader aware of what is going on. At this point the audience can start to

Gender roles in children’s literature are linked to gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes have always been a part of society and are seen in almost every aspect

Alleen Pace Nilsen began a study of Sexism in American English after returning from a two-year stay in Kabul, Afghanistan. Trying to avoid social issues in her research, Nilsen used the dictionary, as her main source and guide, making note-cards on every entry that seemed to tell something about male and female. She soon discovered that language and society go hand and hand. Furthermore, that the language a culture uses is evident in its values and beliefs. Amore careful look at the English language revealed three main points that Alleen Nilsen elaborates more on.

In this paper, I will claim how many tales exemplify women to be these inferior characters who are abided into such gender bias stereotypes. Issues such as oppression, sexism, misogyny, and rape are all aspects that objectify the female society, which allows for misconceptions

Such examples was the word "Kitchen" - in reference to females - as it carried a negative connotation that women didn't like. And if you must know why or if you're interested in knowing why? Then read about The Cold War Era- as prior to the mid 1970s, feminist theory and "competitive concepts" ... was virtually absent from theories of organizations and management called OMT. For instance, what happened after World War II - regarding women? Not during the war - as a lot of them were working - but after the war? The answer is simple. "Natural Competitive Behavior Among Women"..."Became WomenPower". Okay? You following? Which is why in 1943, Businessweek Magazine (e.g., a magazine traditionally for men) published an article with a headline stating "Our entire manpower problem is most acutely a problem of women in power.". Which caused an influx of women serving in professionals roles such as: engineering, mechanics, welding, and s*** ton of others. Whereas, in today's society, you don't really "see a lot of women", dominating those fields. Why? Because it was a male dominated trade that men wanted to preserve ... even though women's efforts during WARTIME, refuted the misconceptions that women are incapable of manual and technical laboring. And yet, here you are saying "on my blog" ... that women aren't naturally competitive? LIKE SERIOUSLY, IT IS YOU ... WHO HAS

Gender and language initiate an approach to the study of language use and looks into relations between the meaning and gender. Christie provides a systematic introduction to pragmatic approaches explaining the rules of social language and how pragmatics can be realized be feminist analyses of language’s nature

Gender stereotypes are mostly taken for granted at a young age: girls are told to play with dolls and boys are told to play with trucks. But as children grow older they find themselves in a world where the reality of gender roles and stereotypes aren’t acknowledged, and the illusion of gender neutrality is commended. If gender roles are becoming more neutral, then it would follow that gender role stereotypes are also becoming more lax. However, in actuality this is not true.

Over time, society has created perceptions and expectations of gender which distinctly influence the socialisation process, influencing the formation of a sense of identity. The personal interest project I conducted focuses on the role of societal stereotypes of gender and the influence this has on individuals’ subject selections throughout their schooling and education.

Language refers to the method that humans use to communicate either through speech or written. It consists of the use of the word in a structured and conventional way. Language has been referred to as ‘our means of classifying and ordering the world; our means of manipulating reality. In structure and in its use we bring out the world into realisation and if it is inherently inaccurate, then we are misled. (Dale Spender, 1980).Language has power that allows us to make sense out of the reality we live in. Sexism is discrimination of a person based on their gender, especially on women. Sexism in language is the use of language which devalues members on one sex, almost always women, showing gender inequality. In the 1960/70’s there was a

To be feminine is to be pretty, sexualized, and passive. “Marked Women” by Deborah Tannen, “Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language” by Alleen Nilsen, and “A Woman’s Beauty: Put Down or Power Source?” by Susan Sontag are three essays that show these negative connotations of femininity. Together, they exemplify that females are “marked” as pretty, sexualized, and passive.

From a very early age, males and females are taught different linguistic practices. For example, communicative behaviors that are considered acceptable for boys may be considered completely inappropriate for girls.

In 1990 Judith Butler first published her book Gender Troubles, where she questions gender roles. Butler theorizes that gender, as in male and female, is a type of societal/gender colonialism created to keep people who do not fall within the gender roles from being part of the mainstream society. In her 1999 preface, in which she addresses the impact her book had in the decade since its original publication, Butler expresses the concern she had with the “heterosexual assumption in feminist literary theory (61).” Butler utilizes the works of other feminist philosophers to further demonstrate the inconsistency, and disconnect between fighting for women rights and fighting for human rights. Judith Butler makes an interesting argument on the failure to recognize the spectrum of gender, however, she makes a compelling argument on the use of language perpetuating a patriarchal society.