Gender Stereotypes Essay

According to Franzoi (2008) stereotype is a general belief that classify people into one particular category and does not allow for variation in individual. The most common stereotype in general society is based on genders. Distinction between women and men has been around for a long time in general society. This distinction indicates construction or shaping (nurturing) processes given to a person rather than his/her inborn features. Women and men have been attached with particular characteristics, physical, personality, and cognitive. Women are commonly viewed as someone who is physically weak, whereas men are characterised as strong. Women are considered being irrational, emotional, soft, dependent and easy to cry. Meanwhile, men are rational, independent, and initiative. This is the reason for the presence of masculine and feminine

They found that males were perceived to have significantly higher scores than females on all traits except agreeableness. They also found that conservative and hierarchical countries have higher gender stereotypes differentiation as they possess lower level of socioeconomic development and a relatively low proportion of women attending universities. Meanwhile, countries that prioritize harmony and egalitarianism, had less traditional sex role orientations and viewed male stereotypes as less favourable than female stereotypes were associated with less gender stereotype differentiation on the five factors.

As mentioned earlier gender stereotypes create a widely accepted judgment or bias about certain characteristics or traits that apply to each gender. If a man or a woman acts differently from how their gender is assumed to behave, then they don’t conform to the norm. Gender stereotypes are harmful as they might create unequal or unfair treatments to a certain group of