PSYC 323 Gender Psychology: Topic: Effects of Stereotypes and Roles

PSYC 323
GENDER PSYCHOLOGY
ASSIGNMENT
Topic: Effects of stereotypes and roles
SUBMITTED TO:
Dr. Pragyan Dangwal
Asst. professor, Amity University,
Lucknow
SUBMITTED BY:
Ishita Gupta
BA(H)Applied Psychology,
Semester 4,
Amity University, Lucknow
What are stereotypes ?
■A stereotype is a widely held, simplified, and essentialist belief about a specific
group. Groups are often stereotyped on the basis of sex, gender identity, race and
ethnicity, nationality, age, socioeconomic status, language, and so forth. Stereotypes
are deeply embedded within social institutions and wider culture.
■Gender stereotypes are the beliefs that people have about the characteristics of males
and females. The content of stereotypes varies over cultures and over time. These
expectations are often related to the roles that the sexes fulfill in the culture.
■Gender stereotyping can limit the development of the natural talents and abilities
of girls and boys, women and men, as well as their educational and professional
experiences and life opportunities in general. Stereotypes about women both result
from, and are the cause of, deeply engrained attitudes, values, norms and prejudices
against women.
Gender Norms ■ Gender norms are social principles that govern the behavior
of girls, boys, women, and men in society and restrict their
gender identity into what is considered to be appropriate.
and Roles Gender norms are neither static nor universal and change
over time. Some norms are positive, for example, the norm
that children shouldn’t smoke. Other norms lead to inequality.
Household chores, for example, are much more likely to be
performed by girls than boys. Girls account for two-thirds of
all children who perform household chores for at least 21
hours per week, which is the amount of time that can
negatively impact a child’s schooling. Similarly, women
spend two to 10 times more time on unpaid care-giving and
domestic work than men. By contrast, men and boys are more
often targeted for active combat roles by armed groups
because of the association of masculinity with defending
homes and communities.
■ Gender roles are behaviors, attitudes and actions that society

feels are appropriate or inappropriate for a man or woman,
boy or girl, according to cultural norms and traditions.
Effects of gender stereotyping
■ Gender stereotypes shape self-perception, attitudes to relationships and influence participation
in the world of work. In a school environment, they can affect a young person’s classroom
experience, academic performance, subject choice and well-being. The assumptions we make about
boys and girls may be conscious or unconscious and can result in students being treated differently
or offered different opportunities based on their gender.
■ Stereotypes and unconscious bias - Gender stereotyping results from unconscious biases held by
all of us. Unconscious bias happens when our subconscious makes assumptions about people based
on their background or perceived background. Everyone has unconscious biases. An individual can
be unconsciously influenced by a stereotype even if they do not rationally subscribe to it. Becoming
aware of our biases and working to counter them is an important way to combat the negative effects
of gender stereotypes.
■ In the classroom, unconscious bias can manifest itself in teacher–learner interactions. For example,
teachers may be more likely to praise girls for being well behaved, while boys are more likely to be
praised for their ideas and understanding.8 A disruptive girl may be treated differently to a boy who
exhibits similar behaviour. These expectations can be harmful to both groups. Girls may learn to be
compliant and not take risks, while boys may opt out of education if understanding does not come
readily
Effects of gender roles
■ Gender roles in society means how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves
based upon our assigned sex. For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically
feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally expected to be strong,
aggressive, and bold. Hyperfemininity is the exaggeration of stereotyped behavior that’s believed to be
feminine. Hyperfeminine folks exaggerate the qualities they believe to be feminine. This may include
being passive, naive, sexually inexperienced, soft, flirtatious, graceful, nurturing, and accepting.
■ Hypermasculinity is the exaggeration of stereotyped behavior that’s believed to be masculine.
Hypermasculine folks exaggerate the qualities they believe to be masculine. They believe they’re supposed
to compete with other men and dominate feminine folks by being aggressive, worldly, sexually
experienced, insensitive, physically imposing, ambitious, and demanding.
■ These exaggerated gender stereotypes can make relationships between people difficult. Hyperfeminine
folks are more likely to endure physical and emotional abuse from their partners. Hypermasculine folks
are more likely to be physically and emotionally abusive to their partners.
■ Extreme gender stereotypes are harmful because they don’t allow people to fully express themselves
and their emotions. For example, it’s harmful to masculine folks to feel that they’re not allowed to cry or
express sensitive emotions. And it’s harmful to feminine folks to feel that they’re not allowed to be
independent, smart or assertive. Breaking down gender stereotypes allows everyone to be their best selves.
Role of social media in promoting
stereotypes
Mass media have huge reach in society and are a key filter through which people learn about each other, yet
countless studies demonstrate that these media continue to reproduce ethnic and racial stereotypes, with often
harmful effects. In various mediums – news, drama, and gaming – ethnic minority groups are typically
marginalized and overlooked. Very often, when they are represented, they are shown only in narrowly
stereotyped roles, such as the model Asian migrant or the exotic Latina, or depicted negatively as the
problematic “other,” disproportionately represented as violent or criminal, and “less than” dominant groups
(i.e., less intelligent, less wealthy, less powerful). Ethnic minority media – that is, media produced by and for
ethnic minority groups – generally offer more positive representations and a counter narrative to mainstream
stereotypes but can also be prone to narrow typecasting and stereotype. The resulting pervasiveness of
stereotyped representations across media formats and type is partly the outcome of complex media production
processes, norms and values, commercial drivers, and a lack of ethnic minority media producers. Nonetheless,
their impact, though hard to measure, is potentially significant. Mass media play a role in shaping collective
identities and intergroup attitudes and, by typecasting certain groups, distort the picture that audiences see of
different groups. There is evidence to suggest these skewed media representations can not only promote public
hostility toward other ethnic groups but also lower ethnic minority individuals’ self-esteem. As a result,
research into ways to combat stereotypes and promote more positive representations in the media is critical.
How can we bring a change?
■ Point it out — Magazines, TV, film, and the Internet are full of negative gender
stereotypes. Sometimes these stereotypes are hard for people to see unless they’re
pointed out. Be that person! Talk with friends and family members about the stereotypes
you see and help others understand how sexism and gender stereotypes can be hurtful.
■ Be a living example — Be a role model for your friends and family. Respect people
regardless of their gender identity. Create a safe space for people to express themselves
and their true qualities regardless of what society’s gender stereotypes and expectations
are.
■ Speak up — If someone is making sexist jokes and comments, whether online or in
person, challenge them.
■ Give it a try — If you want to do something that’s not normally associated with your
gender, think about whether you’ll be safe doing it. If you think you will, give it a try.
People will learn from your example.
How can we reduce stereotyping ?
■ Listen and reflect - One of the main obstacles to eliminating prejudice is that people have difficulty
recognizing that it really exists. Research has already proven that we all reproduce stereotypes and
pre-existing notions on many topics, including gender and race. “The brain and behavioral sciences
have learned a lot about our unconscious biases. We all have them, based on race, religion, sexual
orientation and gender. The important thing is to be aware of our sexist assumptions and challenge
them,” explains Lise Eliot, a neuroscience professor at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind
Franklin University of Medicine and Science. So, try to pay attention to your assumptions and know
that none of us is immune to making bigoted comments or holding biased attitudes. When someone
points out something problematic in your speech, listen and reflect on it.
■ Provide anti-bias training in organizations - Racism and prejudice at work often affect people
from historically marginalized groups in the form of “micro-aggressions.” This means, jokes and
offensive comments made without harmful intent, but that hurt people, and generate stress. One way
to stop micro-aggressions is to offer training on diversity and implicit prejudice. But, as April Reign
says, such trainings should include everyone. “When we talk about training, it has to start from the
top down, not just the CEO or the board saying ‘okay we are going to pay for that,’ but they need to
be in attendance as well,” she emphasizes.

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PSYC 323

■ Gender roles are behaviors, attitudes and actions that society

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