Gender Stereotypes Essay

Gender stereotypes are type of generalized or oversimplified perceptions, impressions, images, or opinions about men and women (Santrock, 2007, p. 177) It is also the presumption that a certain behavior or trait belongs to certain gender and cannot be applied to the other. In short, gender stereotyping can also involve assigning a certain label to a particular gender. One of the most common gender stereotypes are the ones associated with feminine and masculine behaviors. For example, it is common for most people to perceive that males should always be aggressive and tough. In addition, generally, in emotional situations, men are expected to hold their own and not breakdown or cry. It is also a general perception that young males should always strive to be athletic and active in sports and play toys such as guns, cars, and weapons. On the other hand, there are also several female stereotypes. For example, females are generally perceived to be emotional and are the first ones affected during a dramatic situation. In other words, females are expected to be more sensitive than males. Moreover, females are also generally perceived to be always demure and reserved. Furthermore, sexism is the attitude or idea that one gender is less valuable or weaker than the other or that one gender is better and superior than the other (Santrock, 2007, p. 178). It generally has two forms: old-fashioned and modern sexism. Old fashioned sexism is the belief that there should be differential treatment between women and men because women are significantly inferior to men while modern sexism is the rejection of the belief that there is still antagonism and discrimination towards women and their rights (Santrock, 2007, p. 178). One example of old fashioned sexism is when a male employee has a problem of having a female supervisor or boss. On the other hand, an example of modern sexism is when a male lawyer denies that there is discrimination against women even after his law firm rejected a potential lawyer partner simply because she is a woman. References Santrock, J. W. (2007). Adolescence 12th edition. McGr