Gender Stereotyping: Common Practice, Devastating Impact - Essay Sample

Introduction

The general preconception of certain characteristics or roles attributable to the distinct genders has been an inevitable common practice. Stereotyping develops when young men and women start perceiving generalized views regarding attributes that men and women should be possessed of. Most of these perceptions accrue to young people at puberty. For instance, young women begin to link girly characteristics to implying weakness. In a random study conducted by Procter & Gamble Inc, demonstrated how common it is to imply doing something 'like a girl' to imply doing that thing in a weakly or disempowered way (Gamble, 2014). The survey indicated that such stereotypes that link the feminine gender to weakness set in at puberty. This is considering that younger respondents demonstrated a stronger perception of doing something 'like a girl'. The following essay highlights the prejudice that women suffer subject to such wrongful notions reflect on their behavior, result in the gender wage gap and undermine their rights and fundamental freedoms. It further illustrates the role of affirmative action in igniting the move towards the erosion of harmful gender stereotypes among both men and women.

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Prejudicial Impact of Stereotypes on Behavior

It is common to find people developing behavior that reflects their perceptions about their gender and their self-identity. Besides, this is also reflected in the expectations that one develops in relation to another person's behavior due to presumptions inherent to their gender. Majority of the relationships among teenagers today are influenced by the harmful gender norms they already embrace. It is against this background that various gender norms have contributed to the development of unhealthy behaviors that affect both men and women. One of the common gender norms affecting behavior is the stereotype which implies that men do not cry. This is premised on the association of crying with weakness. Which leads to its twin gender norm that already perceives women to be weak (Hoff, 2012). Therefore, only weak people (women) do cry. Such a harmful practice causes men to dangerously hoard emotions within. Even so, studies confirm that crying helps in mitigation of stress.

Another gender stereotype that affects women's behavior is the assumption that women should be polite and quiet. Upon the inception of this perception at puberty, young girls who were brought up to be smart, strong and confident end up being passive and timid. Based on this stereotype, society expects women not to be vocal and assertive like their male counterparts (Hoff, 2012). As a result, we end up with young adolescents with low self-esteem to the extent of suppressing their feelings even in harmful relationships because it is not anticipated that they should be too vocal. This has also contributed to silence among the victims of sexual violence.

It is also difficult to ignore the societal association of women with perfection. Many people believe that women should appear perfectly attractive and flawless. As a result, women succumb to the idea that their worth is tied to their appearance. This piles a lot of pressure on women to keep up with perfection at all times as a way of finding their value. Subsequently, many women are hit with low self-esteem as is common among those who do not feel like they are beautiful enough or have not received sufficient compliments to ascertain their perfection (OneLove, 2018). These notions have also been harmful to women considering that many men (especially within politics) criticize their female competitors based on their aesthetics instead of weighing on meritorious issues. As such, many women who also don't feel perfect enough shy from contesting for competitive positions due to such unjustified short-comings.

The Gender Wage Gap

The long debate about the gender wage gap has been an outright manifestation of the prejudicial effect of gender stereotyping against women. Women in the workforce are affected by employers' perceptions that - due to their focus on informal and precarious tasks in addition to career breaks during childbirth and the resulting care work - lower wages accrue to women. As a result of the factors mentioned above, women have also resorted to alternatives in occupational niches that demand less attention and are relatively flexible. This already puts women at the risk of poverty (Castagnetti & Rosti, 2013). Other reported effects include the reduction of wages in various fields when women join such occupations that were conventionally male-dominated (Castagnetti & Rosti, 2013). The wage gap also seems to be widening as women get older. It remains unfortunate about how gender stereotypes inform such discriminative practices of differential treatment in payment for work of equal value.

The Prejudice of Gender Stereotyping on Implementation of Human Rights

Gender stereotypes are more harmful than they appear at face level. Besides merely affecting behavior, gender stereotypes can be harmful and hostile. It is premised that gender stereotyping has been found to be prejudicial to the feminine gender to the extent that it results in the violation of fundamental entitlements that are inherent to all human beings. Due to the acceptance of prejudicial gender stereotypes, various jurisdictions have failed to criminalize various human rights violations against women (UNHROHC, 2019). Further, women in various societies have also been subjected to discrimination due to wrongful gender stereotyping.

For instance, it is easy to ignore the fact that many countries failing to criminalize marital rape might be attributable to wrongful stereotypes. Many societies still find it acceptable that women in marriage are the property of their spouses. As a result, forcing one's wife into unconsented sex would not warrant any criminal sanctions or prosecution (UNHROHC, 2019). Similarly, with regard to discriminatory practices, cases of sexual violence against women would not be effectively investigated or prosecuted. This would be premised on the presumption that it is the responsibility of women to dress or behave modestly in order to protect themselves from sexual violence. Similar circumstances are manifest in instances of domestic violence and enforcement of other socio-economic rights such as the right to education, marriage and family, and the right to health.

Based on the illustrations above, it is apparent that gender stereotyping has born serious prejudice against women over the years as regards the progressive implementation of human rights. The illustrations demonstrate that prejudice not only emanates from the society but is manifest in the legal and political frameworks as well. Gender stereotypes have, therefore, grown from mere societal perceptions with mild effects on behaviors to being a human rights concern (UNHROHC, 2014). This is attributable to the fact that some of these stereotypes undermine internationally recognized human rights standards. Therefore, they become a human right concern when they emasculate the women's capacities to pursue personal development and to the extent that they promote violation of rights and fundamental freedoms.

For instance, societal stereotypes about the role of women in the family have contributed to poverty and lower levels of education among women. Further, many victims of sexual violence are ye to procure justice due to impunity in the legal system and judicial processes that accommodate violations against women (UNHROHC, 2014). Thus, harm occasioned against women based on a violation of their human rights and fundamental freedoms is multi-dimensional and can be perceived from different angles.

Gender-Based Affirmative Action

Affirmative action has been one of the tools that have previously been adopted towards eliminating the prejudice incidental to Gender stereotypes. The adaption of affirmative action as a tool for correcting gender inequality has been born controversial reactions. First, affirmative action may in itself be perceived as a tool that indeed affirms that the feminine gender is weaker, therefore, requires security (Bracha, Cohen, & Conell-Price, 2013). This is attributed to the fears that the establishment of preferential policies already poses a negative stereotype that would, surprisingly, lead people to conform to it. In the same vein, it has been argued that affirmative action amounts to committing one wrong in anticipation of correcting another. Despite the logical reasoning behind such thoughts, studies confirm that the benefits of using affirmative action as the starting point for correcting stereotypes outweigh the negatives.

While stereotypes bear a long-term self-fulfilling effect, affirmative action has successfully been prescribed as this intervention that kick-starts the long-term process of correcting disempowering perception about women (Enerhardt & Fiske, 2011). The quasi-permanent nature of gender stereotypes warrants the implementation of intervention that imparts self-confidence and self-development towards the progressive eradication of the social stigma that is already deeply rooted in society. Further, the elimination of stereotypes begins with the promotion of change in ideologies; and this can only be achieved through affirmative action.

In a recent study in India has been critical towards reiterating the position that affirmative action is the most effective intervention for the erosion of the prejudice occasioned by gender stereotypes (Hoff, 2012). According to the study, it was established that the exposure of women to a leadership position was critical to erasing bias in men and women's perception of women in leadership. The study established that affirmative action boosts the self-confidence and the self-image of women who are elevated to leadership. This, in turn, ameliorates their performance to competitive levels.

Affirmative action can change stereotypes. As such, it is qualified as a mode of imparting a new ideology regarding the prevailing gender stereotypes. As such, ideology influences what people see and how well they perform (Enerhardt & Fiske, 2011). Therefore, changes in power by affirmative action policies matter because this is what kick-starts the long-term erosion of gender stereotypes. Even so, it is important not to ignore the unintended consequences that are likely to result from the aversion of prejudice against women through the implementation of gender-based affirmative action policies.

Conclusion

It is apparent that no justification underlies the attribution of the feminine gender to weakness and vulnerability. The illustrations are drawn above including the gender wage gap, the behavioral impact, and violation of human rights also demonstrate the harmful nature and irrational impact of these stereotypes. It is therefore important to consider affirmative action as an initial starting point for the eradication of the wrongful notions based on its power to change ideology, people's thinking and subsequently their unfounded biases.

References

Bracha, A., Cohen, A., & Conell-Price, L. (2013). Affirmative Action and Stereotype Threat. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://www.bostonfed.org/home/publications/research-department-working-paper/2013/affirmative-action-and-stereotype-threat.aspx

Castagnetti, C., & Rosti, L. (2013). Unfair Tournaments: Gender Stereotyping and Wage discrimination among Italian Graduates. Gender and Society, 630-658.

Enerhardt, J. L., & Fiske, S. T. (2011). Affirmative Action in Theory and Practice: issues of Power, Ambiguity, and Gender Versus Race. Journal of Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 201-220.

Gamble, P. &. (Director). (2014). Always #LikeAGirl [Motion Picture].

Hoff, K. (2012...