Gender Stereotypes and Gender Roles

Unit V
Gender Stereotypes and Gender
Roles
K.Thangavel,
Assistant Professor,
Thiagarajar College of Preceptors,
Madurai-9.
2/18/2021 K.Thangavel, Assistant Profesor, TCP

Introduction
• Among the human beings, males and females
differ not only in their anatomical structures
• But also in voice, style of functioning, feelings
and emotions expressed, aptitudes and
interests.

• “No one is born with masculinities or
femininities, but become like as they grow in
society” - Simon D.Beauvior
• Masculinities or femininities are developed in
children due to the socio-cultural norms and
beliefs of the society in which they grow.

• Society insists that females should pay the
role of a female and males that of a male.
• Environmental factors also reinforce the
behavioural norms, dresscode, roles and
responsibilities assigned for both the sexes.

Meaning of Stereotype
• Members of a social group, having some
generalised beliefs about people belonging to
other groups or people living in other regions
or people belonging to different ethnicity,
simply based on their few subjective
experiences are called “Stereotypes”.

Gender stereotypes - Women
• Women are supposed to have "clean jobs" such as
secretaries, teachers, and librarians
• Women are nurses, not doctors
• Women are not as strong as men
• Women are supposed to make less money than men
• The best women are stay at home moms
• Women don’t need to go to college
• Women don’t play sports
• Women are not politicians
• Women are quieter than men and not meant to speak out
• Women are supposed to be submissive and do as they are
told
• Women are supposed to cook and do housework

Men stereotypes
• All men enjoy working on cars
• Men are not nurses, they are doctors
• Men do "dirty jobs" such as construction and
mechanics; they are not secretaries, teachers, or
cosmetologists
• Men do not do housework and they are not responsible
for taking care of children
• Men play video games
• Men play sports

• Men enjoy outdoor activities such as camping,
fishing, and hiking
• Men are in charge; they are always at the top
• As husbands, men tell their wives what to do
• Men are lazy and/or messy
• Men are good at maths
• It is always men who work in science,
engineering, and other technical fields
• Men do not cook, sew, or do crafts

Examples of stereotypes
• Lean persons are cunning
• People of Devar community are heroic
• Brahmin boys are intelligent and honest
• Chettiars are successful businessman
• Women are highly patient and caring for
others

Gender Stereotypes
• Gender stereotypes are widely held beliefs in
a particular group or cultural group, about the
characteristics deemed appropriate for males
and females.

Dimensions
• Social roles
• Capacities
• Physical characteristics and
• Occupations

Social Roles
Men: Bread winner of the family
Ensures protection of the home.
Portrayed as leaders

Women: Take care of the family and home.
Portrayed as followers.

• Capacities
• Men : Physically strong and good at maths
• Women: Good in arts and physically weak and
fickle minded in decision making

• Traits and Characteristics
• Men: Active, dominant, aggressive,
independent, brave etc..
• Women: Passive, submissive, peaceful,
dependent, fearful, cooperative, soft spoken

Effects of Gender Stereotypes
• Affecting family life
Traditionally women remained at home
Nurturing of the infants
Men worked outside the home
Women to do the bulk of the household
labour
This affects the family interaction and
mental satisfaction of the couple.

Producing Emotional strain
• Both experience lot of psychological or
emotional strain.
• Men - Parenting roles for men
• Married women – Child : Job : Family

Affecting the Performance of Men and
Women
• Negative stereotype negatively affect
performance by increasing anxiety.
• Example: Women were found to perform
significantly worse as compared to men in a
maths test.

Development of Gender Stereotypes in
Early Childhood
• Early childhood 2 to 5 years
• At the end of age 3 children taking the parents
as their role models and follow them up in
behaviour.
• Children label their own and other sex, using
such words as boy and girl.

• Parents will encourage the child:
• Male child – Self-initiative and Assertiveness
• Female child – Kind, depend on parents,
affection,

• Traditionally, about age of 30 months as the
time when children acquire gender stereotype
for toys, clothing, household items, games,
work colours.

• Gender stereotypes like ‘bears are for boys’
and ‘butterflies are for girls’.
• Playing with toys

Gender Stereotyping in Middle
Childhood and Adolescence
• 6-9 – Middle childhood
• 9-11 - Later Childhood
• 11-13 – Adolescence
• Stereotyping reaches peak in middle
childhood and then becomes more flexible
later

• Realization of Gender role in society,
Institution and work place.
• House related work – Female
• Outside work – Male
• Female for taking care of family
• Male child for earning money.

Role of Parents
• Fulfill their dreams
• No freedom will be given to female child.
• Parents set goals for their children
• Female will be helping the mother.
• Academic achievements
• Male – Good at Language
• Female- Good at Maths

Factors influencing Gender-
Stereotyping
பாலின வார்ப்படக் கருத்துக்களை உருவாக்குவதில்
செல்வாக்கு செலுத்தும் காரணிகள்
• Biological factors - உயிரியல் காரணிகள்
• Cultural factors பண்பாட்டுக் காரணிகள்
• Environmental factors சுற்றுச்சூழல் காரணிகள்

Biological Factors
• From the evolutionary point of view;
• Males became genetically primed for
dominance
• And females for
intimacy,
responsiveness and
Cooperativeness.

Biological factors
• Males are groomed to earn income for the
family
• Females are groomed to rear the child and
take care of the family
• Influence of hormones on gender role
behaviour.

Cultural Influences in Gender
Behaviour
• Primitive men lived in mountains and forests
as a group.
• Primary activities of their adult life were
hunting for food and increasing their clan
through procreation.
• Human beings slowly progressed from animal
life to a civilized group-living.

• In order to maintain order and peace in the
community life, rules and regulations were
framed.
• Each community group framed its own norms of
behaviour for its members.
• Religions and scriptures came into being,
describing ‘do’s and don’ts for the people.
• These behavioral norms treated women to be
submissive and strive to serve the needs of men.

• Due to technological changes and scientific
advancement society has been changed.
• Today there are no jobs exclusively meant for
females or males.
• Eg. Fishermen families
• Women work at various places

Environmental Influences in Gender-
Stereotyping
• Environment forces provide powerful support
for gender role adoption.
• Change in environment provides new social
roles and responsibilities to females.
• Eg. Women take up responsibility of managing
small scale Industries and prove to be good
entrepreneurs.

Gender Identity
• Gender Identity is a person’s sense of self as a
male or female and behave accordingly,
making it known to other members of the
society.

• Biological gender identity refers to one
realising his/her own gender based upon the
sex organs, differential behavioural pattern
caused by the influence of sex related
harmones.

• Social gender identity refers to an individual
making others in the society known as male or
female by adopting the dress code, roles and
functions assigned to that particular category
of gender.

Gender Identity in Middle Childhood
• Fixed Gender Identity - மாற்ற இயலாத பாலின
தன் அளடயாைம்
• Gender Constancy- பாலின நிளலத்தன்ளம

Gender Identity in Adolescence
• Development of Secondary Sex Organs
• Self-concept
• Androgynous

Gender Schema Theory
• Mental representation
• Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget explained the
process of ‘Schema’.
• Following his theory Sandra Bem in 1981
explained how individuals become gendered.
• It means develop the sense of ‘gender’ and
understand the gender roles and functions
which is otherwise known as ‘Gender Typing’.

• Gender Stereotypes
• Gender Identity
• Gender roles
• The schema formed for these three kinds of
information are integrated by the child into a
network like structure called ‘Gender
Schemata’.
• “Gender Schemata”

Strategies for Developing Non-Gender
Stereotyped Children
• Creating a safe space
• Providing a range of Role Models
• Make the most of books
• Do not discriminate jobs and courses of study
meant for girls and boys.
No gender discrimination
Admitting students of both sexes in all types of work.
Co-operative learning

• Use of Inclusive Language
• Chairman – Chair Person
• Man-power - ?
• Man-kind -
• Boys and Girls –
• Mums and Dads - ?
• Ensuring same kind of Rewards and Sanctions

Gender Stereotypes and Gender Roles

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Semelhante a Gender Stereotypes and Gender Roles

Semelhante a Gender Stereotypes and Gender Roles (20)

Mais de Thiagarajar College of Preceptors (Aided)

Mais de Thiagarajar College of Preceptors (Aided) (20)

Último

Último (20)

Gender Stereotypes and Gender Roles