Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

Gender Stereotypes
Pamela Reyes
El Paso Community College

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

Abstract
Stereotypes between men and women have always been an extensive controversy in society.
Gender Stereotypes can be encounter almost in any kind of setting it could be at workplace,
school, income, sports, politics, skills, etc There is a very elongated list due to the perception
created that men can accomplish in a more efficient way many activities that according to the
stereotypes generated women are not able to do. An important issue discussed is how women
has been undervalued when regarding their contribution on military services. The purpose of this
assignment is not only to address gender stereotypes, but go more in depth about how it impacts
women performance or attitudes during social activity. This project talks about everyday
negative stereotyping concerning women, and the idea of supporting feminist rights in order to
prevent discrimination in any kind of setting.

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

Gender Stereotypes
Gender stereotypes, and specially womens discrimination, have become a very controversial
topic when taking in mind that it has been going on since the womens rights movement which
was primarily caused by the women's suffrage. The controversy that everyone should be treated
the same regarding race or gender, comes to mind when dealing with gender stereotypes. The
conditions that women had to deal with were, not being allowed the right to vote or hold political
office until the passage of the 19th Amendment. Although women are now able to vote, and
accomplished anything without any law restrictions these conditions have been translated into
women stereotypes, for example; Women are not as strong as men or Women dont play
sports. These are some of many examples about stereotypes that women all over the world deal
with on a daily basis. As a result, women are now being affected during cognitive tasks, while
practicing sports, workplace, and the discussion about women in the military. They would be
damage by not being designated into an assignment or even worst, affected psychologically.
About 20 years ago Hillary Clinton said Humans rights are women's rights, and womens rights
are human rights at a press conference referring to women rights, on how they deserved the
same rights and treatment as man without any exceptions. I really think just as Hillary Clinton
mentioned action about these kind of women stereotypes should be taken place. People should
no longer deference between men and women on anything because in some cases women are
even more capable to do the desire duty.

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

Intelligence and Leadership. For instance, one main reason of women stereotypes is the opinion
of being less efficiently than men when dealing with cognitive tasks. There are many comments
made to women when comparing their intelligence. The general idea for many is that men has
always have a higher IQ scale than women, and the supposition of lack of creativity is a very
considerable problem that according to many people makes the idea that women are less efficient
during cognitive tasks. All these are no more than just ideas created by a person because of their
gender. There was a cognitive study conducted by medical students with 21 healthy male, and
21 healthy females between the ages of 19-37. When comparing the results it demonstrated that
some results were the same for both, but when regarding executive tasks there was a greater
advantage for women. On the results according to the study it demonstrated that Generally,
females show advantages in verbal fluency, perceptual speed, accuracy and fine motor skills
(Guragain, 2014). The study eliminates any stereotype about women limiting its intelligence and
skills ability. Another very important concern is the idea that women should not have dominance
in political office. The stereotype about womens ability of leadership leads voters to elect men
candidates instead of women, because society characterized them as more compassionate, warm,
and empathetic.
Because of these beliefs female politicians do not have the same opportunities as men all
around the world. Out of the 196 countries in the world, there are only 22 countries with female
leaders, which represents the prominent advantage that males have regarding political settings.
The following refers to the argument about political office stereotypes for womens,

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

Accordingly, female politicians might be negatively evaluated because these feminine qualities
are

Running head: GENDER STERYOTYPES

inconsistent with the masculine traits necessary for leadership roles (Koenig, Eagly, Mitchell, &
Ristikari, 2011). The quote precisely explains how females are being unfavorable criticize for
anything regarding leadership. Many voters prefer not to vote for female candidates because
they educe the perception that women traits would be experience while constructing their
political decisions. The following indicates a physiological study about stereotypes of female
politicians, In particular, traits falling under the broader category of empathy are part of the
defining traits of women in general (Diekman & Eagly, 2000). The study analyzed results from
voters that viewed women leadership as not positive choice because of their emotions. To
resume, just as intelligence and emotions has strong feminist stereotypes sports can also be an
identical argument.

Sports Feminist Stereotypes. Indeed, female athletes affront many challenges of feminism
through society vision of sports as a more masculine physical activity, and many characterize
women that play sports as homosexual. Negative stereotypes for women athletes has become a
concern because it has develop into a psychological problem when categorizing women athletes
as homosexual or less attractive. The following quote demonstrates the stereotype develop for
women athletes, College students would have a slightly negative stereotype of women athletes,
would see them as unattractive and masculine, and that in attempting to identify athletes they
would tend to select less attractive women. It refers to a study conducted by Guilford College,
the examination consisted on 34 yearbook photographs with a a control group of women in the
varsity basketball,

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

golf, and tennis team in order to determine the attractiveness rate of female athletes and nonathletes. Speaking about the perception of women and sports another related argument is how
these kind of social created stereotypes also influence children participation during athletics.
Children have also been affected because during physical education classes while playing sports
like football, soccer, or basketball they would diminished the girls ability to accomplished these
type of games. The following quote from a research at the University of Spain says, Even
today, negative stereotypes and patterns of inequality still exist that determine women's
participation in sports. In the case of girls, adherence to the principle of equality in sports during
schooling gradually declines from preadolescence onwards.(Fernandez, 2002). These same
research contribute in a study regarding the participation of boys and girls on several different
sports. Many categorize sports as male sports and female sports by differencing that according
to stereotypes man activities require more strength, endurance, more activeness, and aggressive
interaction. The following source concluded that, The highest rates of participation were
observed in activities associated with male traits (handball 73%, futsal 91%, hockey 90%, Leon
wrestling 69%, rugby 95%), compared with those in which the female traits described in the
literature predominated (rhythmic and artistic gymnastics 100%-80%, volleyball 91%
(Alvarias, Fernandez, & Lopez, 2011).

Also the results display how there would always be that stereotype about girls and boys
sports. Referring to the idea that soccer, football, basketball are more man likely activities, and
that just as the study demonstrated the artistic, gymnastics and volleyball been declared as
feminist sports by society. For example many have the idea that women cant play professional

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

football because it is way to aggressive and requires strength that a women doesn't acquired.
Many physical education classes even separate boys and girls while playing more aggressive or
strength require games. Although both are able to develop athletic skills women had been left
behind and sometimes don't even experience sports in a same way as man. The description of
these feminist environments its important because not it only harms children, but also many
women can relate to many work experiences were they didn't accomplished their assignment
because it was supposedly a man designated task.

Profession Stereotypes. Speaking about women workplace stereotypes there is a large number of
conflicts encountered for example; women have been fired if they are pregnant, they can be
judge more harshly than man, and are perceived as weaker than their male coworkers when
dealing with some assignments. One of the biggest work conflicts for women is during their
pregnancy. Many stereotype that during a pregnancy, women becomes more emotional, and less
competent while performing their tasks sometimes even developing unfair dismissal.
During their pregnancy women are see less incompetent for the work the stereotype of
Is She a Professional or a Mother its a very perceivable example about feminist perceptions
during workplace. The following quote analysis some stereotype activity, In a recent analysis of
stereotype content, suggested that prejudice and discrimination may not emanate solely from
antipathy towards a group or their members rather, in their stereotype content model (SCM) they
proposed that prejudice and discrimination are under- pinned by perceptions of (relative) status

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

and interdependency which results in evaluations on the two key dimensions of warmth and
competency (Fiske, Judd, 2005). The study shows how there are various stereotypes for
pregnant women some people harshly discriminated them during work procedures all along
because of their emotions and capability for the work. Also it has been induce that estimated
salary does interact with gender stereotypes. Although there is now tremendous opportunities for
women in the United States their labor reflects less than a man. We argue that observations of
men as higher earners than women has led to a stereotype that associates men (more than
women) with wealth, and that this stereotype itself may serve to perpetuate the wage gap at both
conscious and non-conscious levels (Eagly, 1987; Eagly, Wood, & Diekman, 2000). This quote
refers to how man salary is higher than womens because of the idea created since way back that
they have to be more wealthy than women. It all starts again with stereotypes believing that
women cant do better than a man at something simply because of their believe of being
powerless or emotional, etc Womens professional leadership keeps increasing, but there is no
doubt that many important details and stereotypes are still being left behind.

Women in Combat. Furthermore, another challenge for women is the controversy about being
able to join military services. This topic is one of the most disputed when regarding stereotypes
because there is a lot of argument going on that women should not serve in any ground combat
services. Many say its to risky, and that women do not have neither the ability or strength to
serve during combat. That they should just be able and contribute with their medical and other
staff assistance, but not

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

anything regarding actual combat. Indeed, the Direct Ground Combat and Assignment, The rule
excluded women from infantry, amour, artillery, combat engineers, air defense artillery, special
forces and any support units that co-located with these units. The policy appears to have been
based on an assumption that future battlefields would be linear, with a distinction between
forward areas and rear areas (Barry, 2013). Their is the belief that women attitudes such as
emotions, and their feminine attributes impair their effectiveness on military combat
performance. The study generated demonstrates some stereotypes developed, Typical men are
believed to make decisions more easily and to be more independent, self-confident, competitive,
and leader than typical women. Typical women are believed to be more helpful, kind, gentle, and
emotionally expressive than men (Broverman,Vogel, Clarkson, & Rosenkrantz, Diekman &
Eagly, 2000). These ideas are the major issue regarding why women have been set aside on
during combat. Since according to stereotypes women are more kind, gentle, and emotional they
might get confused with their emotions during risky and extreme combat.
The following source explains that, In service academies as well as in the Texas A&M
Corps of Cadets, both sexes must meet the same standards for appointment, admission, training,
graduation, and commissioning, although adjustments have been made in the physical entrance
requirements because of the physiological differences between male and female individuals
(Judd, Park, 1993). It demonstrates the complexity about stereotypes in these case both genders
have the same standards. Women does not lacks behind on any performance ability, or either of
the tasks represented by the Texas A&M Corps. The typical stereotype constructed that women
should not join combat ground military should be set aside, and start developing new ways to
contributed just as man does.

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

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Conclusion

To conclude, stereotypes can be very influential, and even more when dealing with gender. It has
been part of womens discrimination since the womens rights movement. Although in the
United States there has been a huge development regarding discrimination, women are still being
affected. Their emotions, attitudes, physical characteristics, and intelligence needs be value as
same as mans characteristics. Its very important to not underestimate a person just because of
the idea that they cant do the task as efficiently as others. Gender stereotypes must be address,
and start dealing with any problems regarding womens rights. The damage could be very
important psychologically it makes them underestimate themselves as a person and sets them
apart from some normal activities. For example, staying outside from any military services, not
wanting to related with anything that deals with physical education, undervalue their intelligence
capability, and work capabilities. These types of settings of discrimination created by
stereotypes need to come to and end in order to create a more neutral and manage equal rights for
everyone.

Running head: GENDER STEREOTYPES

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