Question

List gender role stereotypes. What evidence is there to support or refute these stereotypes? What are the functions of these stereotypes? How do they affect relationships and sexual interactions?
• Conclude your analysis with a list of gender-role attitudes and behaviors of the other sex you would like to see become more like your own sex’s.

Answer 1

A stereotype is “...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.” (Cardwell, 1996).The process by which children acquire the values, motives, and behaviors viewed as appropriate for males and females within a culture is called gender typing. Children develop gender-based beliefs, largely on the basis of gender stereotypes; the latter are reflected in gender roles. Children adopt a gender identity early in life and develop gender-role preferences as well.

Gender Stereotypes:

• women are not strong as men
• women are more quiet than men
• men play sports
• men are good at science subjects
• women basically tend to stay at homes
• men never cry
• women should be submissive
• men never do household works
• women never shout etc.

There are many studies which refute gender role stereotypes. Hayes, Allinson and Armstrong(2004) found no support for stereotypic categorization that women have more intuitions than men. Similarly Gottfried, Gottfried, & Killiam(1999) claim those working mothers who retain most of the family burden still invest as much as men in their work.

Thus  they affect relationships and sexual interactions in many ways-

• Most of the time women take passive role in sexual engagement.
• when earning of a man is less than a woman, there may be many problem in a relationship among them.
• When an woman refuse to take the responsibility of a family, it may lead to divorce.