Are gender stereotypes ruining modern society?
Thanks to liberals taking over the human population, gender stereotypes are considered offensive nowadays, if not illegal. Men want to be more feminine and women want to be more masculine. Many LGBTQIA and gender fluid people talk about how they felt immense pressure to conform to their gender when that’s who they never really were in the first place. It seems that everybody wants to leave gender roles behind in the 1950s and completely bridge the gap between male and female, some people do this literally, as they have chosen to identify as a third gender. It seems rather jarring, as there can be a lot of beauty found in the differences between men and women but apparently not anymore. Gender roles are particularly detrimental to women, as they are not allowed to express themselves in ways that men can. For instance, if a woman expresses a strong opinion (outspoken being a traditional masculine quality) on something, she’ll only be accused of being “obnoxious” or “shrill.” Let’s take a closer look at how gender roles affect both men and women.
Gender stereotyping can affect males and females alike but for entirely different reasons. Men are always expected to be strong, assertive, decisive, unemotional, and dominant. Women are supposed to be fragile, meek, hesitant, emotional, and submissive. So this goes to say that men can never show weakness and that vulnerability is more attractive in women. This can be highly troubling for both genders regardless of what feminists say about women always having it harder because this can not only hold back women from standing up for themselves & achieving their goals through hard work & determination but it can also prevent men from expressing their emotions freely & bonding with loved ones. However, these obstacles are most common in the workplace. Studies have shown that men who display more feminine personality traits such as asking for help, showing emotion, modesty, and being a feminist are less likely to get hired than women (Mayer, 2018). There is hardly any logic in these studies as companies are more likely to hire people who are confident but not to the extent where it simply comes off as arrogance and that more empathetic employees make for a better workplace. So why should men be penalized for simply trying to create a more desirable work environment? Now that we know the repercussions males face for not being a “real man,” we will be taking a look at an even more severe scenario: gender norms against women.
Women are held back in the workplace to a greater extent than men, especially due to the limited choices of jobs for females to excel in. While men may fear being ridiculed for choosing female-dominated occupations (ex. Anything in the fashion, beauty, or childcare industry), women are afraid to venture into male-dominated occupations such as science, journalism, or math out of fear that they will not be considered qualified enough for the job. Not only that, but as mentioned earlier, they will only get called out for expressing their opinion or speaking up. If they receive a compliment for a job well done, they are more likely than men to shrug it off or downplay their own abilities (Gerdeman, 2019). Even though white, able-bodied, middle/upper-class women are not immune to this kind of prejudice, women of color, women with disabilities, indigenous women, women of lower economic or social status are impacted even more negatively. Nevertheless, gender stereotyping against women can greatly deter women from freedom of expression, political participation, and speaking out against gender-based violence, especially sexual harassment (OHCHR | Gender stereotyping , n.d.).
Although modern media is as progressive as ever, gender norms are still prevalent in movies, TV shows, music videos, and any other form of pop culture. Take the film 50 Shades of Grey for instance, the male protagonist is portrayed as the archetypal alpha male: stoic, sexually dominating, and brooding. The female protagonist is depicted as timid, virginal, and subservient. Throughout the film, there is a blatant lack of balance of power in the relationship between the couple. The male protagonist is in control of the relationship and it leads him to doing things such as stalking the woman at work. The female protagonist on the other hand, is co-dependent and in dire need of approval from the man. This romanticizes the idea that women must always obey men no matter how wrong they are (Sumano, n.d.). Even in an increasingly liberal world, we cannot seem to escape the perpetuation of unhealthy gender stereotyping.
The bottom line is, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with men being masculine and women being feminine. It only becomes a problem when this system doesn’t allow people to fully express themselves and their emotions, thus disallowing everyone from being the best version of themselves (What are gender roles and stereotypes? , n.d.). A man or boy can like football and not be afraid to admit to liking romantic movies, even if their girlfriends drag them to one, at the same time. Likewise, a woman or girl can love shopping and wearing makeup but can also excel in sports or mechanics too. It can be disheartening to feel that males and females can’t try a little of this or a little of that all because they have to be either born blue or pink. Human beings are all different, and it makes for a better world. If everyone were the complete same, it would be boring. Besides if we were completely alike, how else will we learn how to respect each other and work out our differences in the end? Same thing goes for all men & boys being the same as one another and all women & girls acting the same. If men didn’t exhibit more sensitive personality traits and women more independent, how will they be able to work together? Society should just let everyone be themselves, because personality will always matter more than identity.
References:
How Men Get Penalized for Straying from Masculine Norms (published Oct. 8, 2018). Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-men-get-penalized-for-straying-from-masculine-norms
How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence. Retrieved from
OHCHR | Gender stereotyping. Retrieved from
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/GenderStereotypes.aspx
How Gender Stereotypes Impact Behavior. Retrieved from
https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/gender-stereotypes-impact-behavior/
Gender Identity & Roles | Feminine Traits & Stereotypes. Retrieved from
