A gender stereotype is prejudice about traits and characteristics that one should possess based on their gender. When it comes to sexual assault-related situations, gender stereotype is often based on discrimination against women. This video shows that people still hold outdated beliefs concerning victims related to sexual assault (Laureate Education, 2013). Such characters are the ones that make most sexually assaulted victims reluctant to seek assistant or report offensive conduct.
From the case study episode, it is evident that the nurse displayed gender and sexual stereotypes. There is a change in pitch when talking about the issue of the raped victim, which shows that she highly doubts that the victim was raped (Laureate Education, 2013). The nurse uses victim-blaming sentences and blames her for her counter-stereotypic behavior of going to a party late at night. This concludes that some women's rights, such as freedom of movement, are violated due to these stereotypes (OHCHR, 2020) . She clearly showed her stereotypes of women who drink at parties and sexual assault being the victims' issue. She believed that the victim could have been okay if she could have had proper behavior, which would instead identify the case as 'real' rape (Laureate Education, 2013). The mentioned stereotypes above perpetuate violence against women, such as the nurse making it clear that sexual harassment is a woman's problem and not a man's problem (Adams et al., 2018). These stereotypes also make sexual assault seen as unworthy of consideration and thus not a form of crime.
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As a professional, the nurse could have taken her time and get to know the victim better on what happened other than making her own opinions on the victim's issue. Social work skills can be applied for social change advocacy to address sexism. Some of these skills include having knowledge of the human relationship and cultural competence, among others. These skills will assist the social worker in influencing a positive change in the social work practice on sexism. They also improve victims' well-being since they get to know that there is someone who understands their situation and will also stop blaming themselves (Sarah et al., 2015). The skills also help the workers get an understanding of how various cultures view sexual violence and how to respond to them appropriately.
From Johnson's case, social workers can respond to the stereotypes and assumptions made by making individual counseling efficient and supporting sexually assaulted victim groups. Additionally, it will ease addressing the issues of safety, assertiveness, self-esteem, and violence-free life. Social workers can also provide public education on sexual assault-related issues. While collaborating with other professionals, I would highly recommend cultural diversity training for one who does not express the highlighted skills.
References
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K., Hackman, H. W,... Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Johnson Family (Episode 2) [Video file]. In Sessions.
OHCHR. (2020). Gender Stereotyping . https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/women/wrgs/pages/genderstereotypes.aspx
Sarah, M., & Racheal, S. (2015, April 12). A review of rape in the social work literature: A call to Action. Journal of Women and Social Work, 26 (3), 250-263.
