Traditional Gender Stereotypes

Gender roles put an idea into children’s brains about the way society dictates how men and women should or should not act. These stereotypes can be harmful, as they often lead to sexism and misogyny. While gender roles may deem what is appropriate for each gender, they can also set expectations of people in society, some of which can be unachievable. This can put a pressure on young children that can follow them through their education and career. Gender-based stereotypes are also dangerous in the sense that if someone refuses to conform to traditional gender ideals, most of the time, they are ridiculed and harassed.

Feminist: the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Sexual stereotypes are deeply imbedded into today’s society. Ideals of the gender roles are passed down from generation to generation, creating a gap between what is socially acceptable for a woman to do and what is expected of a man. One thousand years ago humans chose dominance by physical capability, simply because it was essential for our survival, but the world has evolved. One thousand years ago physical strength was the most important part of survival for human beings. Men in general are physically stronger therefore it made sense to have a man lead. The world humans live in has evolved and is no longer run by the physically entailed, but by the most intelligent or creative(Adichie). Though this world has evolved, the gender expectations and stereotypes have stayed the same. Sexual stereotypes in America limit men and women to abide with,by the expectations of masculinity and feminism, create a sense of shame for women, and create a gap in today’s job industry.

Gender roles and stereotypes are enforced through single-sex education. For example, believing that boys should learn in more tactile, energetic ways can cause an increase in aggressive behavior (Lewin). This goes hand in hand with the idea that we should not base children’s education purely on gender but, use other factors such as, personality, interests, and upbringing. The argument to this is that it is important for girls and boys to learn with only their respective sex because they are able to learn in an environment with children who learn in the same manner as them. This cannot be true because each child learns differently and has unique learning needs.

Living in 21st century United States, being a much more liberal and inclusive environment than prior decades, gender “roles” and their normalities are being severely questioned and challenged. Americans have defined and established gender stereotypes that have become a critical part of how we look at gender roles and create biases about each gender. Stereotypes assume people who 'belong ' to a group will appear, behave, look, speak or sound like others from that group. The values, norms, practices, behaviors and traditions associated with the group are shared by all members of the group. For example, gay men are promiscuous, women are maternal and men don 't show emotions. Stereotypes are often dismissive, negative, and they are sometimes

Gender stereotyping and gender preferences have been a problem in society for many years. Modern day society has only just emerged from the ideology and mind-set that males are the dominant gender. However, some of this still lingers within the educational system. Hatton (1998) states that boys have been the preference over girls in the classroom as boys are more lively and interesting. Teachers rely on the good behaviour of the girls, which makes them ‘less interesting’, so that the time can be spent with the boys (Hatton, 1998). Gender is the distinguishing biological aspects of a person that considers them to be a male or a female (Davies, 1998). However, in this modern society we live in, ‘gender’ cannot so easily be labelled this black and white. In Australian schools today, the schools experience transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) young people (Ullman, 2015). This is to say that there are some young people who do not conform to what society biologically says they are. A metaphorical theory that Ferfolja, Diaz and Ullman (2015) discuss called the ‘unseen half’ perfectly places this social unjust issue of gender inequality. This theory states that diversity, individual or communities, within the educational system often undervalued or found difficult to understand are rendered ‘invisible’ in day-to-day practices (Ferfolja, Diaz, & Ullman, 2015). As recent as 1979, women were

For example, what is being taught who teaches us, and how they teach us? Schools are like old factories that distribute gendered individuals, which imply that women and men are different and unequal (205). A great example of how gender inequality is perpetuated through the education system can even be rooted by how the classroom is designed. Areas are sex segregated by invisible but real boundaries; everything is divided to where girls should play and where boys should play. The way boys are girls are treated by their teachers displays the inequality, boys receive more attention from their teachers just because they are more impulsive, reckless, and loud, and how they don’t challenge girls as much as boys (Kimmel 208). Also, how boys are still imposed to act more like girls in the classroom, they have to stay calm, raise their hands; classrooms are more feminize (Kimmel 213). At the same time, something that is very much active is how when boys put girls down as they often do at that age, teachers ( females usually) often ignore the situation and do nothing about it. Teachers also urge boys to try harder, by constantly encouraging positive support. Overall, the traditional gender stereotypes that girls are good and boys are bad still exist today (Kimmel

It is no longer acceptable to base an education programme on the stereotype of emotional behaviour being feminine, artistic and marginalised and rationale behaviour as masculine, logical and mainstream (Yelland, N 1998). It is important to give all children equal opportunities and allow boys and girls access to all resources and activities whether that be the girls playing with the cars and the boys playing with the dolls or both genders playing outside on the slides and bikes, this is all available in the work setting. Stereotyping can be offensive and cause biased thinking and actions, the tasks set in education programmes could favour groups depending on their culture and previous education

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.

From an early age children are shown how different boy and girls ‘naturally are’ through media and advertising. For instance this Walmart advertisement to the right portrays boys as strong and adventurous while it portrays as girls as sensitive and caring. For instance one of the boys is shown with a toy gun while one of the girls is shown cooking with a childrens baking set. They also limit the boys clothing to very basic and bland colors while the girls wear lots of pink and bright colors. In the article “Gender Stereotypes: Kids Believe Them By Age 10”, Belinda Luscombe quotes Robert Blum, “We found children at a very early age—from the most conservative to the most liberal societies—quickly internalize this myth that girls are vulnerable and boys are strong and independent”(time.com). This article reflects a worldwide study that gathered information from many children in fifteen different countries. Gender roles are so harmful because they force men and women to be insecure about their identity if they do not fit into the guidelines of what is deemed proper.

From birth to the classroom a child is exposed to gender specific clothing, toys, games, and décor. However, it does not stop at childhood; educators are also exposed to those same gender specific stereotypes, so much so that it has become pervasive and ingrained. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) (2013, p. 3) discuss the impact of gender stereotyping as: a

In well-known fairy tales the males and females characters are often portrayed in the same light. The male characters are often described as the hero with strong masculine traits while the female characters are portrayed as the damsel in distress. Throughout the years fairytales have been casting the same stereotypes for their characters. In the story Beauty and the Beast the author de beaumont depiction of what an ideal woman is lays in Beauty. She is meant to embody the role of a feminine, humble caretaker, lover, and savior. The author depicts males as provider’s, however, it is clear that the men in the story are dependent on a positive female figure for life. Beauty’s disappearance threatens both her father and beast with death, symbolizing

Louis Zhou Murray MacMillan (G11) Pre-AP English Lang & Comp April 15, 2017 Essay: Masculine and Feminine In the ancient times, people tended to describe men and women in diverse ways. People were accustomed to describing men as masculine and women as feminine. It means that people had the stereotype that men should be brave and powerful figures and should dominate the society. On the other hand, women should obey what men said and should not receive elevated level education and kept ignorance.

Why are we so embarrassed for simply being humans, do we really live in a society where performing our natural bodily functions are subject to mortification and ridicule? This is the underlying question that came to mind when I saw this sign advertising a Poo-Pourri scented air freshener. I recently took a trip to the United States and as I was in the airport I noticed a sign on a toilet seat in the restroom that printed “Spray before you go and no one will ever know” along with an elegant looking well dressed middle-aged women sitting down on a toilet seat. I immediately took interest to this sign because as silly as i thought it was, there was a social phenomenon of gender expectations being addressed here. Although the Poo-Pourri air freshener

In many cases the classroom reinforces gender stereotypes perpetuated by society. This can be found in the materials used for instruction,

How women are perceived by others, and how women perceive themselves, impacts their leadership roles in the work place. Stereotypes and gender biases are themes women have been dealing with for centuries. How women are perceived by social medial and television have been influencing how they are treated by men, and how they view themselves when it comes to taking a leadership role in their organization. According to Omega Institute (2012), “The rapidly shifting landscape of new media and technology, including reality television and celebrity culture, continue to reinforce gender stereotypes” (p. 1). This leads to men still growing up viewing women as home makers versus bread winner. With more women entering leadership roles in the work place they lack the respect from men due to how these men have grown up to know the typical role of a man and woman. Men tend to feel belittled due to the gender stereotypes seen on television, and this leads to women struggling to succeed as a leader with the lack of support from their male counterparts. Lack of confidence with women in the workplace is also influenced and effected by how women are perceived in social media and television. According to Steele (2005), “Exposure to stereotypic commercials persuade women to avoid leadership roles” (p. 276). As young women grow up seeing the typical gender stereotypes they lack ambitions to break the mold and