Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Stereotypes of Gender Differentiation Based on Society

Andrea Eva^{* *}Correspondence: Andrea Eva, Department of Psychology, State Islamic University of Raden Intan, Lampung, Indonesia, Email:

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Description

Gender roles are cultural and personal. They determine how men and women should think, talk, dress, and interact in social contexts. Learning plays a role in this process of shaping gender roles. These gender schemas are deeply embedded cognitive frames that relate to what defines men and women. Different social actors such as parents, teachers, peers, movies, television, music, books, religion etc. teaches and reinforce gender roles throughout the lifespan. Parents are perhaps the most influential, especially on their very young offspring. Gender roles in society mean how the person is expected to talk, dress, groom and behave based on our assigned gender. For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typical feminine style and be polite, kind, and considerate. In modern society, gender roles are a major controversial issue. Therefore, gender roles in society are constantly changing over time. First, people need to understand gender education. The term gender role is defined as a set of cultural norms that dictate appropriate behaviour for people based on their gender. For example, women are usually expected to dress femininely and behave politely. Males, on the other hand, are generally predicted to be more aggressive and bold. Every society or ethnic group has its own culture, in other words, every group has its own expectations, even within the same society the things can change. Gender roles adopted in childhood usually persist into adulthood. At home, people make certain assumptions about decision-making, parenting practices, financial responsibilities, and more. At work, too, people have assumptions about power, division of labour, and organizational structures. This does not mean that gender roles are good or bad, they just exist. Gender roles are based on the different expectations that individuals, groups, and societies have on individuals based on their gender and on the basis of each society's values and beliefs regarding gender. Gender roles are the product of interactions between individuals and their environment, providing cues to individuals about what types of behaviour are considered appropriate for which gender. According to beliefs, appropriate gender roles are defined. Additional structural conditions, such as women with high levels of education and high income opportunities, may be necessary prerequisites for the existence of such families. Gender is constructed in a personal, interactive, and structural way, creating environmental constraints and opportunities that typically benefit men more than women, but gender does not affect family life alone. Gender roles are stereotypes about attitudes, characteristics, and behaviours imposed on men and women based on their gender. Prejudices of this kind are usually harmful to society, but understanding what they are and what their history is crucial to overcoming them.

Conclusion

Stereotypes are widely accepted judgments or prejudices about individuals or groups, even if they are oversimplified and not always accurate. Gender stereotypes can lead to unequal and unfair treatment of individuals based on their gender. Gender roles perpetuate inequalities and have profound implications for minorities who cannot reject these stereotypes. Many of these gender stereotypes may seem harmless at first glance, but are often are harmful. Personality traits, for example, women are often expected to be accommodating and emotional, while men are usually expected to be confident and aggressive. Domestic behaviours, for example, some believe that it is women, who take care of children, cook and clean, manage household while men look after finances, repair cars, and do home repairs for women. Occupations, as for professions, some people are quick to assume that teachers and nurses are women, while pilots, doctors and engineers are men. Physical appearance, for example, women are expected to be thin and graceful, while men are expected to be tall and muscular. Men and women are also expected to wear gender-appropriate clothing and grooming, men wear pants and short haircuts, while women wear dresses and makeup.