All cultures must handle the problem of division of labor between sexes. How they do it has been a topic of debate and research. Recognition and awareness of sex and gender play a prominent role in creating contemporary psychological knowledge. Chapter 6 gives an overview of the knowledge existing in gender and culture (Matsumoto, 2001).
William and Best applied the Adjective Check List where the subjects characterized adjectives as female and male characteristics. Men are viewed as active, critical, strong, and adult-like. They exhibit dominance, aggression, achievement, exhibition, and endurance. Women are viewed as weak, passive, nurturing, and adaptive. Their needs include deference, abasement, affiliation, nurturance, and heterosexuality. The researchers suggested that their findings support a phenomenon called “psychological universe” in gender stereotypes.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The adjectives used in the research conducted by the two authors have a negative impact on the workforce. For instance, women cannot take positions that require active roles because they are not as active as men are. Women take professions that require less aggression at the workplace. They do not want to compete with men. The adjective also affects the hierarchies in the organization since men take up the leadership roles based on the adjectives that drive them.
These adjectives also have few advantages. They help employers to match particular jobs with the genders required. For instance, jobs that require aggression are for men. However, women who need such jobs can be extreme with their characteristics to match the adjectives of men. Cultures that stereotype highly benefit from the adjectives since they create descriptions already available for matching.
Reference
Matsumoto, D. R. (2001). The handbook of culture & psychology . New York: Oxford University Press.
