Gender Stereotyping

Watch Your Words: Gender Stereotyping

STORY Kalisha Fitsch

Boys will be boys and girls will be girls, right? Gender stereotypes, or gender roles, have been present in our society since the dawn of civilisation. Slowly but surely, the world is becoming more aware of them, whether it’s in terms of tradition, social media or society. But what are they, and is it really such a bad thing?

What is Gender Stereotyping?

Stereotypes are defined as a widely held image or oversimplified idea of a particular type of thing or person (for instance, tall people must be good at basketball or thin people probably don’t eat enough). Gender stereotyping refers to the differences between males and females, and how society has given them meaning and value.

These roles are often subconsciously pushed onto us (you’re a girl so you must care about your appearance, or you’re a boy so you must be strong). Stereotypes reinforce a difference between boys and girls instead of viewing them as individuals, and this is what can cause problems. We’ve come a long way as a society in terms of breaking these barriers down, although there is still room for more improvement. We are seeing more and more roles and careers become socially acceptable for men and women to do. We have more stay at home dads, more male nurses and the number of women in construction and STEM-related jobs are also steadily rising.

It is pretty widely accepted nowadays that girls can be firefighters and boys can work in childcare, however, gender stereotyping is still very much present although we may not always be aware of it. A lot of it traces all the way back to childhood, including the things we were told and even the toys we were allowed to play with.

How it Presents in our Society

One of the most common types of gender stereotyping are the ‘roles’ of mum and dad in a family setting. For instance, mum may stay home to do the housework and look after the children while dad is the breadwinner. While this idea on its own isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it plants a seed early in life of how women and men should be.

Apart from this, gender roles early in life can be sneaky. For instance, construction toys are often marketed to boys, while dolls are often marketed to girls. This has become more common, especially in the last 50 years. While all humans have a mixture of masculine and feminine qualities, this marketing suggests at an early age that some toys are “for boys” while others are “for girls”. on gender is often harmless, this can put them in a box. Avoid phrases such as “Boys don’t cry,” “You can’t cut your hair short because you’re a girl,” or “Boys are better at maths.”

Be a gender role-model. If possible, show mum and dad in a variety of roles that are typically of the opposite gender – for instance, dad can do the laundry and mum can fix the tap. This shows kids that there are no such thing as strictly ‘male’ or ‘female’ roles when it comes to running a household.

Let toys be toys. If your little boy wants a baby doll and a pram for their birthday, that’s awesome. If your little girl wants a set of toy cars and a garage for Christmas, that’s great. The toys children play with have an impact not only on how they see themselves, but also how their brains develop. In fact, this may even foster interests and passions that your little one will follow up later in life.

By the time kids are well into primary school, these roles become more apparent. Girls are often depicted as the caring gender, while boys are expected to be tough. Consequently, assertive girls are often told they are bossy, while boys who show emotion are told they are weak and need to harden up.

This then carries on into high school, where girls tend to be bullied if they don’t dress a certain way or do their makeup, or boys get picked on for taking a home economics class or not having an interest in footy. Ultimately, this makes them feel inclined to “fit in” rather than be themselves and follow their own interests and passions.

Gender stereotypes in childhood grow into adult attitudes.

How to Break the Stereotype

Parents can encourage their children to think outside the box and focus on them as individuals. Here are a few things to focus on:

Watch your words. Keep a closer eye on what you say around your children. While making assumptions based Support their interests. Letting children play with the toys they are interested in can help them get involved in a related activity. Discuss these interests with them and remind them that it’s not wrong for them to embrace what they enjoy. If your girl has an interest in robots, she might love to be part of a robotics club. If your boy enjoys dancing, dance classes may be just what he wants.

Storytime. Provide and read books together that showcase men and women, boys and girls in a variety of roles. For instance, stories about women who are superheroes or men looking after children.

The Bottom Line

Categorisation is an essential element of the human world, but it is when these categories are assigned rigid stereotypes, beliefs and attitudes, that they become problematic. Eliminating these gender stereotypes is not about making our society gender neutral, but just taking care not to enforce gender roles onto children without realising it.

Watching your words, being a great role model and encouraging your children to follow their interests are all components that will help them grow up to their full potential, regardless of their gender.