Gender stereotypes: Why pink or blue? Creating false beliefs towards inequality.

The stereotypes of gender are those beliefs or ideas preconcebidas and shared socially on how have to be and comport the men or women, and that determine the hypothetical roles that have to exert each one of these groups in our society generally of discriminatory way. To the boys no always likes him more play with the cars and to the girls no always likes him more play to the dolls.

Difference between sex and gender.

Before continuing has to differentiate  between the term gender and the term sex. The first does reference to the differences socioculturales between men and women in base to his biological nature whereas the term sex only alludes to the biological differences between men and women. That is to say, the gender alludes to roles, values, attitudes, expectations and functions that the society awards to the sexes. The gender learns . The sex is born .

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False beliefs of the stereotypes of gender.

The stereotypes of gender generate  in the society like false beliefs that associate  unfairly to what believe  universal truths. Still knowing that these beliefs can be false, follow awarding them of unaware way to man and women and finish for giving him to the recently been born daughter of our friends a group of cradle of pink colour. Acaso The girl already knows what likes him the pink colour according to being born? Obviously no, the same it finish hating it. However, by the mere effect exhibition to all these stimuli associated to his gender will finish assimilating them as true and this him influenciará in the development of his attitudes and social behaviours futures. Unfair.

The fact that we take like true these stereotypes of gender have an adaptative “function” since it produces  a more automatic processing of the relative information to functions of men and women by what the thought is more effective, to prori. But no because the brain process it like this wants to say that it was the correct, but it is the fastest solution. They are the called heuristic of the thought, the mental shortcuts of mental fast answer.

Besides, I put “adaptative” entrecomillado since perhaps in the primitive societies where some characteristics of men or women, related more to physical components, could be more related with the survival of the species, by what know identify them could be a competitive advantage. But nowadays we do not run behind the gazelles to hunt and our survival does not depend already of this. Fortunately, prime more the equality of gender to avoid discriminations injustificadas. Or it would have to be like this.

Educate to time in expectations of gender.

These stereotypes of gender transmit  of generation in generation because of the expectations that the adults create on the boys and girls of unaware way. The culture begins to work on us from the moment in which they give us our first blue pacifier or rose. Impose these beliefs repercute negatively on the development of the boys or girls, is one of the conclusions of the Global study Early Adolescent Study. Since this education desigualitaria, between other things, is sobreproteger to the girls when doing them see culturally that they are more fragile that the men in some appearances.

We have to struggle by an egalitarian education and in expectations of coherent gender from ages earlier to avoid that the learning of these roles of unfair gender root  in ages in which already they take  like true hampering his desaprendizaje. The study It Begins at Have: How Gender Expectations Shape Early Adolescence Around the World (Blum, Mmari, Moreau, 2017) shows this reality on as they form  the expectations of gender in boys from among 10 and 14 years along the world.

If we do not educate to time in the first ages will produce  the pressures of group in the transmission of the stereotypes of gender. That is to say, the own boys and girls will defend these beliefs inculcadas by the adults and presionaran to the boys that do not fulfil them. For example, a girl that want to play to the football with other boys could be refused by the group to the not being “the normal”. By my experience like trainer, have lived this case and the first days of training of a girl with a group of alone boys, produced  some rejection. With educational tools chords, to the few days the girl was already perfectly integrated in the group like a more. To day of today follow very proud of this small girl that came to train with 7 years to a world that seemed only of men. Bravo!

Regarding the transfer of stereotypes of roles by part of the media is what more influences in the education on values of gender. We remember that in the first stages of life the boys practically learn everything by observation and in the media do not stop to see models and references clearly estereotipadas by gender. The women are ideal models that pose at the side of cars driven by men, the strong and robust men in announcements of colonies and the feminine sport practically do not have presence in the televisions. Sure that sell a lot of more products with strategies, but would not do it, but do him lean favour to the development of an egalitarian society.

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Other times, in the own books of text or the traditional tales are clearly estereotipados and full of errors of gender. Blue princes that save to doncellas unprotected…If you explain him these tales to your daughter afterwards do not want to that it grow believing in the empoderamiento of the woman.

Components of the stereotypes of gender

We go to differentiate mainly in three general components of the stereotypes related with the gender:

• Estereotipia Of shot: it refers  to the different characteristic that associate  to men and women. Example: the women are more emotional and more sensitive; the more aggressive and competitive men.
• Estereotipia Of role: it refers  to types of activities more appropriate for ones or others. For example, the women do better the domestic tasks that the men; or that  the men are better trainers that the women. With regard to this last case, recommend the reading of a recent article drafted by Pau Gasol (2018), baloncestista Spanish of the NBA, in The  Players Tribune, about the trainer Becky Hammon and his high qualification to be able to train to a team of the NBA in which it seems that only there is fit for the men. Bravo Pau! Becky Hammon Is example for many.
• Estereotipia Physical: perhaps they are the most justified  but do not fulfil  in all the occasions with which sometimes commit errors for generalising. The women have the softest voice, are more bajitas; the men voice graver, heights and strong. But, no because suceda the contrary leave to be more women or fewer men, obviously.

Examples of stereotypes of gender.

Here they relate  some examples of stereotypes of gender more common and invite to complete them in the comments of the article:

Stereotypes of gender (all false or to a large extent false):

• The men are more stable emotionally that the women.
• The men reason better that the women.
• The men are braver.
• Pink women, blue men.
• The women do better the domestic tasks.
• The women cook better.
• The men drive better.
• The women are more affectionate.
• The women are more dependent.
• The men are better in sciences that the women. Here it fits to highlight that because of the stereotypes of gender, a lot of women decide not making university careers related with engineerings although his capacities are similar to the ones of the men. Only it is necessary to look the percentage of enrolled in some careers estereotipadas for men and for women. For example, in psychology the percentage of women is much more high that of men.
• To the men likes him play with the cars and to the women with the dolls.
• Labour surroundings: women professors, mechanical men, women hairdressers, men taxi drivers, women, nurses, men directors, women dependientas, men pleaded, women azafatas…

 

More egalitarian education. Please.

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Bibliographic references:

Blum, R.W., Mmari, K. Moreau, C. (2017) It Begins at 10: How Gender Expectations Shape Early Adolescence Around the World. Journal of Adolescent Health,
61,4, S3-S4. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1054139x17303555

Gasol, P. (2018). An Open Letter About Female Coaches. The  Players Tribune. Recovered on 30 May 2018 of https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/pau-gasol-becky-hammon

Other sources.

Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading: Addison-Wesley.

Global Early Adolescent Study.  http://www.geastudy.org/

Morals, J.F., Huici. C. (2003). Social psychology. Madrid: UNED