Gender Stereotypes in Academic and Family Settings

Topics: Family, Gender, Gender Stereotypes, Stereotypes Words: 2173 Pages: 8

Annotated Bibliography

Adamiak, Marzena. “Gender Stereotypes in Emmanuel Lévinas’ Concept of Subject.” Gender in Focus, 2018, pp. 195-206.

The article aims at providing the reader with a reflection on the development of gender stereotypes and their effect on the people.
The source will be essential in providing information on how socialization in the family setting contributes to early gender-stereotypical views.

Solbes-Canales, Irene, et al. “Socialization of Gender Stereotypes Related to Attributes and Professions among Young Spanish School-Aged Children.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2020, Web.

The article discusses the socialization of gender stereotypes from a study on young school-aged children in Spain.
This article will be essential in providing evidence on the role of social structures in enhancing gender stereotyping.

Archard, David. “Family and Family Law.” Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018.

The book covers a broad aspect of family and family laws.
The source will be crucial in defining the relations within a family setting.

Biernat, Monica, and Amanda K. Sesko. “Gender Stereotypes and Stereotyping.” Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018.

The book provides knowledge regarding psychological perspectives relating to gender, sex and sexualities.
This source will be crucial in providing literature on evidence of gender stereotyping in the family setting.

Jones, Karen. Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Education. Learning Matters, 2020.

The book reveals the prevalence of gender stereotyping within the education setting.
This source will be essential in knowing when and how gender stereotypes are developed and propagated in a child during education.

The article is research that aims at identifying whether little involvement in household chores among women and men is linked to heightened work-family conflict (WFC).
The article will be crucial in providing evidence this biasness or stereotyping emanates from one’s closest environment; school or family.

Shakoor, Abdul. “The Rise of Jihad in the Pakhtun Region: The Role of Culture.” Global Political Review, vol. 2, no. 1, 2017, pp. 108-119.

The study aims at evaluating the development of jihad in the Pakhtun region in Pakistan.
The source will be essential in providing evidence on the family setting as a primary in the development of gender stereotyping.

Tsouroufli, Maria, and Rédai Dorottya. Gender Equality and Stereotyping in Secondary Schools: Case Studies from England, Hungary and Italy. Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.

The book reveals gender biasness and stereotyping in secondary education in Italy, England and Hungary.
This source is essential in discussing the prevalence of gender stereotyping within the education setting.

Summary

Gender stereotypes refer to the assumption about gender features and roles that every woman or man is expected to possess or depict. Gender stereotypes hold people back from developing their strengths, pursuing their professional careers, and making decisions about their life. Preconceptions that maintain disparities might be blatantly antagonistic or seem innocuous. For example, because of the traditional notion of women as caretakers, childcare duties are often assigned to women (Biernat and Sesko 2018). For instance, women from minority groups, lower socioeconomic status or those living with disabilities are disproportionately harmed by gender stereotypes and other prejudices. The practice is a violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Stereotypes do affect how people live and their way of doing things. Gender stereotyping is present in families and academic settings.

Gender stereotypes exist in almost all academic disciplines; boys are often viewed as better than girls in mathematics and the sciences. Boys are more likely to be encouraged to pursue careers in math and science (Jones 2020). In the humanities and social sciences, girls are more often viewed as better than boys at reading and writing. Girls are more likely to be encouraged to pursue humanities and social sciences careers. Generally, girls are more likely than boys to receive lower grades in math and science classes and are less likely to be accepted into top universities. Gender stereotypes can hurt girls’ academic achievement and career prospects.

Gender stereotypes can be harmful to girls and boys; when boys are highly encouraged to take math and science classes, their academic achievement is affected. This situation results in the boys may not achieve as high a level of success in college and their careers (Jones 2020). When boys are discouraged from pursuing humanities, and social science careers, their ability to engage in critical thinking and problem solving is impaired.

It is impossible to get rid of gender stereotypes in some communities because gender stereotypes are deeply embedded in our society. Even when people challenge these stereotypes, they can be challenging to change. For instance, it can be challenging for teachers to break the habit of giving lower grades to students who are seen as being “math and science types” or “literature and language types.” Gender stereotypes can harm girls’ academic achievement and career prospects. The stereotypes are times promoted by teachers that girls are discouraged from pursuing math and science careers (Tsouroufli and Rédai 2021). Girls who tend to receive lower are encouraged to seek humanities and other social sciences instead of math or pure science. Stereotyping is enacted in a child through the environment in which they grow.

Gender stereotypes in academic settings can be a form of discrimination. The reason is that stereotyping creates an environment where people are treated differently based on their gender. Women are often seen as less competent than men when it comes to academics and may experience difficulty getting promoted or receiving favorable treatment from professors. Gender stereotypes can lead to women experiencing feelings of frustration, anxiety, and even depression. As a result, women may feel less able to cope with the demands of academia and may ultimately withdraw from their studies or career (Tsouroufli and Rédai, 2021). Gender stereotypes can be harmful to women and men who are seen as falling outside the traditional gender role. This practice can harm the men’s self-esteem and lead them to experience discrimination and harassment in the workplace. In addition, it can be difficult for men to find mentors who share their interests and support their academic preferences. The effects of sexism have yet to be abolished from modern society’s structure, functioning, and social and interpersonal connections.

Gender stereotypes are inherent in the education system, as they are in every other social sector, such as the job sector, health, and social security. Gender stereotypes in academic settings can be significant and should not be ignored (Tsouroufli and Rédai, 2021). The growing concern about gender discrimination in academic settings has led to developing initiatives such as the Athena Project. This project aims to support women in academia and help them overcome any barriers that may prevent them from achieving their full potential. Gender stereotypes can be a form of micro-discrimination. The reason is that they can lead to people being treated differently based on their gender instead of their abilities.

Gender stereotypes can hurt people’s mental health. Some women may experience feelings of frustration, anxiety, and even depression. As a result, they may have difficulty concentrating, working efficiently, and achieving their goals. Gender stereotypes can hurt people’s social lives. For instance, women may be less likely to seek opportunities to socialize with other men because they are worried about being judged based on their appearance or behavior (Vavassori and Nega 2019). Gender stereotypes can lead to people feeling isolated from their family or society.

A family is the smallest unit of social relationships and forms a person’s identity. A family comprises one’s biological parents and any other adults who are legally responsible for one’s welfare. Family life is generally characterized by close relationships between members (Archard 2018). However, in many cultures and societies, there exist gender stereotypes about the roles that men and women should play in their families. A common stereotype within the family setting implies that men are breadwinners and women are caregivers. This stereotype significantly impacts how both men and women perceive their roles in family life and their feelings about themselves (Solbes-Canales et al.). When parents have discussions with their children, they consider their children’s emotional state. Parents thereby end up addressing the same issues differently when it comes to one gender instead of the other. Parental encouragement through helpful and affiliative speech and comments is more common among mothers than in fathers in this scenario. Mothers promote their boys’ individuality and autonomy, while they seldom talk about the same topics with their girls. Compared to fathers, mothers prefer affiliative play with their daughters, while fathers are more likely to disapprove of their sons engaging in cross-gender activities.

In addition, men and women have been shown to have varying levels of emotionality, with women being seen as emotionally passive and males being perceived to be aggressive. Through socialization, parents treat their children with an internalized stereotypic approach. The interaction leads to gender stereotypes where boys are expected to act with aggression, be assertive, and agentic, while girls are treated passively and perceived as weak and sensitive (Adamiak 2018). Gender-role development is facilitated by this stereotypic socialization, which defines and determines distinct realms for men and women in the family setting and society.

In Pakhtun culture, stereotyping is deeply ingrained in the standards of everyday life. Pakhtun males are seen as the family’s primary breadwinners; their parents and the wider community promote and praise their role. In a study by Shakoor (2017), the respondents revealed that gender stereotyping mechanism was perceived to be highly common. The majority of the respondents reveal that they prefer their male children to be active, aggressive, and courageous, while their girls are subservient, weak, and reliant on their parents. As a result of their parents’ role and conduct, children are indoctrinated with gender stereotypes which further spill over to the next generation.

There exist different ways to reduce gender stereotypes in family settings. One way is to ensure everyone in the family is treated equally, regardless of gender. This assertion calls for everyone to be given the same opportunities and privileges. Another way to reduce gender stereotypes in family settings is to discuss how everyone experiences the world differently. This practice implies that both boys and girls can express their opinions and are not limited by what other people think is appropriate for them (Shakoor 2017). Families can try to celebrate different aspects of gender identity. This step helps in making everyone in the family feel comfortable and accepted. By doing these things, families can help reduce gender stereotypes in their homes.

Stereotypes reflect a community’s acquired knowledge, norms, traditions, and beliefs. Parents often use these assumptions in parenting their children in the traditional, prescribed, and socially formed manner. Using this projection, individuals learn to acquire stereotyped ideas about the group they belong. Different stereotypical behavior is learned, transferred, and eventually transformed through socialization. In terms of socialization, families reinforce preconceptions already present in their children. According to the reasons stated above, rather than biology, sociocultural and relational variables have a significant role in shaping the differences between genders (Solbes-Canales et al.). The family is seen as one of the most basic and considerable sources of socialization in various societies and cultures. Because of established social and cultural standards concerning males and females, boys and girls are socialized in their homes differently. Individuals are assigned male and female gender roles following the prevalent conventional image of men and women, which is seen as stable and widespread.

Parents make distinctions between their children depending on their gender and assign them different obligations. Parents in this setting conform to pre-existing principles widely regarded as the standard in every culture on the face of the globe. Women are traditionally assigned different responsibilities in the home. Men are expected to handle things like farming, business, shopping, and other activities that require much energy or masculinity. Women were expected to cook, clean, sweep, and care for children, among other things. Women’s suffrage organizations, social interactions, and personal relationships contribute to establishing and inculcation gender stereotyping as a sociocultural product.

Regarding teaching gender disparities among Pakhtun men and women, the family plays a critical role. This practice is done through socialization, differentiation, division of labor, and defining parents’ various roles in their children’s lives, among other things. The family unit teaches gender-appropriate and inappropriate behavior and the usual channels for interacting with others (Solbes-Canales et al.). As a result of the division of labor and differential association in traditional gender stereotyping’s daily life, individuals can be assigned conventional gender roles. Parents’ portrayal of their girls as delicate, weak, emotionally susceptible, sensitive, and reliant encourages their children to act incorrectly.

Stereotyping is prevalent in academic and familial contexts and often influences how men and women are seen. Although there is still much work to remove these gender stereotypes, we must all begin working towards a more inclusive society. The identification and dismantling of preconceptions may create an equal environment for all those involved. Stereotyping may be reduced or eliminated via education and understanding, treating all people equally, and not categorizing a person based on their sexual orientation or gender.

Works Cited

Adamiak, Marzena. “Gender Stereotypes in Emmanuel Lévinas’ Concept of Subject.” Gender in Focus, 2018, pp. 195-206.

Archard, David. “Family and Family Law.” Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018.

Biernat, Monica, and Amanda K. Sesko. “Gender Stereotypes and Stereotyping.” Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018.

Jones, Karen. Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Education. Learning Matters, 2020.

Shakoor, Abdul. “The Rise of Jihad in the Pakhtun Region: The Role of Culture.” Global Political Review, vol. 2, no. 1, 2017, pp. 108-119.

Solbes-Canales, Irene, et al. “Socialization of Gender Stereotypes Related to Attributes and Professions among Young Spanish School-Aged Children.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2020, Web.

Tsouroufli, Maria, and Rédai Dorottya. Gender Equality and Stereotyping in Secondary Schools: Case Studies from England, Hungary and Italy. Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.

Vavassori, Nina, and Crysanthi Nega. “Who will activate Gender Stereotypes bias?” 2019.