Essay Example on Gender Stereotyping in the Society

Introduction

Gender played a significant part in determining the roles of men and women in society. While modern society tries to bridge the gap between the responsibilities offered to men and women, it is still impossible to achieve a system that is thoroughly gendered impartial. Men and women are left to select their roles depending on how the society sees fit for them. This scenario brings about a classic case of gender stereotyping. The United Nations Human Rights Commission terms gender stereotyping as the ascribing to individuals specific attributes, characteristics or roles by their membership to a particular social group of men or women (UNHCR, 2014). Gender stereotyping can have a positive or negative effect on society. However, the negative implications of the practice of gender stereotyping cause more damage to the community and the social structure. Some of the adverse effects of gender stereotyping include preference of treatment by sexual orientation, one gender being taken as subordinates of the other in tackling house chores and discriminatory legislation in the rule of law. The purpose of this essay is to highlight how gender stereotyping impacts society negatively, and why it should not be put under practice.

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Effects of Gender Stereotyping in the Society

First, gender stereotyping lowers the self-perception, performance and activity participation of young people (Institute of Physics). The attitude of young people towards formulating relationships may also be affected. For instance, teachers may get to praise girls for being well-behaved while boys get honored for their ideas and understanding (Institute of Physics). The unconscious bias towards determining the characteristics of young people may make them conform to certain ways of carrying themselves in a bid to stay within the character attributed to them. Branding young people with character traits also limits their potential in achieving maximum productivity in their environment. Girls may work towards being better behaved while giving little caution to other expectations such as understanding concepts or performing well in class. Likewise, boys may opt to drop out of school if they fail to understand the ideas that are driven their way. The stereotyping also affects the way the children relate to each other. When they are characterized as different, the young people group themselves within these characteristics and thus limit their interaction with others. In this case of gender stereotyping, people who mentor young people contribute towards gender stereotyping without being aware of their actions. It is essential to observe that both boys and girls need equal opportunities at school to make life-conscious decisions.

Second, gender stereotyping determines how people express themselves in different situations (Sumano, 2018). For instance, a man is expected to turn physical and defend his family when threatened by another man as a show of might. Any man who tries to solve a conflict without a fight is seen as a weak man. Additionally, society deems a man who cries as weak. Children are always soothed to calm down whenever in distress while boys are encouraged to hold back their tears to show their control over the situation at hand. Eventually, the boys fail to overcome their emotions and end up building an internal pressure buildup.

On the other hand, girls can cry when in emotional discomfort since it is the most feminine thing to do, therefore, getting to manage their emotions freely. The male members of the society are seen to undergo emotional suffering that affects their day-to-day mode of operation, but they are not allowed to showcase any form of weakness since it would be seen as womanly. The same case applies where men are taken to be the bread-winners in the families. While two-income households are typical in modern society, gender stereotyping dictates that the man in the house should be the sole bread-winner in the family. As a result, the male members of society persevere harsh working conditions to achieve their full potential as expected by society. However, this should not be the case. Ideally, a striking 40 percent of American families have women as the bread-winners (Sumano, 2018). The discussion above strongly disapproves the societal norm that men should not cry in distress, or that they should always be the bread-winners in the family.

Third, gender stereotyping denies women equal knowledge, exercise and enjoyment of rights and fundamental freedoms (Puri, 2011). Lakshmi Puri points out that gender stereotyping is a broad way of justifying gender discrimination, more so against women. Moreover, it also reinforces and perpetuates historical and structural patterns in discrimination. Some of how gender discrimination manifests itself are through the gender pay gap, segregation in rolling out duties, denial of promotions to leadership, feminization of poverty among others (Puri, 2011). Women are also expected to be quiet and passive in all situations, without regard to their rights and freedoms (Sumano, 2018). Psychology shows that girls become quieter and reserved once they get into adolescence compared to boys. At this stage, girls become more vulnerable and in need of protection, therefore hiding their assertiveness and lowering their self-esteem while trying to conform to societal expectations. Gender stereotyping takes advantage of this low moment in the life of a growing lady to deny her the rights and freedoms she deserves. However, society should ascertain the safety of these girls to build their confidence in expressing themselves. Women are encouraged to express themselves in any way they seem fit without fear of discrimination or persecution (Puri, 2011).

Fourth, gender stereotyping affects the domestic behavior and occupation of people. Some people assume that household chores are the sole responsibility of the woman of the house, while the man is supposed to take care of the finances, work on the car and carry out home repairs (Planned Parenthood, 2019). Women are called upon to look after children, cook and clean the house. If the woman of the house is not available, the man is not permitted to partake on the chores of the house as the society sees this as a sign of weakness from the man. This practice leads to work pile-up and disorganization in the house. In the modern two-income type of households, the woman of the house is also tasked with contributing to the finances of the house, hence making it overwhelming for her to cover the house chores as well. Some occupations are also seen to be more fitting to some genders than others (Planned Parenthood, 2019). The society makes women look more fit to work as teachers and nurses while men take on prestigious careers such as engineering and medicine. This characterization closes the opportunity of many women to practice professions that are too macho for them to handle. In the same manner, men are also afraid to come out and practice careers of their choices, just because jobs are seen to be more applicable to women.

Finally, gender stereotyping affects the physical appearance of people (Sumano, 2018). People tend to hold up their appearance to please others. Men are expected to be fit and muscular in their physique as it is taken as an ability to handle tough work that is availed to them. Women are expected to apply make-up to enhance their beauty, have a fair complexion and unusual body shapes, usually promoted by models. The Daily Mail carried out a survey that showed that 58 percent of women think they look better with make-up, while another 12 percent say they would not be desired as much without the beauty enhancements (Sumano, 2018). Also, both the genders are seen to put a lot of investments in achieving physical beauty through the buying of expensive clothing and other accessories. This shows how the expectation of society has pushed men and women into using products that make them look more appealing and woman-like, even if this is not the case.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gender stereotyping affects society in different ways. However, the stereotyping is seen as causing more harm than good, especially towards women. Gender stereotyping leads to oppression and discrimination of people based on their sexuality. The society usually expects a lot from one gender, compared to the other. Women are supposed to carry out house chores, cook and look after the children while men are required to be the sole bread-winners and handle home repairs in the families. The overreliance on one member of the family causes exhaustion and builds strife amongst couples. It is essential to redefine the roles of the people in the society according to their might rather than sexual orientation.

References

Institute of Physics. (n.d.). Gender Stereotypes and their Effect on Young People. London.

Planned Parenthood. (2019). What are Gender Roles and Stereotypes? Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/gender-gender-identity/what-are-gender-roles-and-stereotypes/

Puri, L. (2011). Countering Gender Discrimination and Negative Gender Stereotypes: Effective Policy Responses. UN WOMEN. Geneva.

Sumano, K. (2018). How Gender Stereotypes Impact Behaviour. Retrieved from One Love: https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/gender-stereotypes-impact-behaviour/

UNHCR. (2014). Gender Stereotypes and Stereotyping and Women's Rights. Geneva.