Introduction
Gender and sexuality studies cover dynamic topics on the sense of belonging of human beings to a given orientation based on how their physical body parts are defined, and depending on their sexual activities. The diversity of this field makes it an important component within the human race since it naturally defines their daily lives. The primary objective of this reflection paper is to discuss gender stereotyping and the effects it has had on sexuality based on both empirical evidence and available literature. According to Ellemers (2018), gender stereotyping refers to established expectations by either ourselves or the society on how human beings belonging to a certain gender should or should not behave. These stereotypes have formed the basis of different societal cultural problems in the modern world. However, in addition to the main purpose of the paper, other research works on gender and sexuality will be discussed to create a framework for derivation of primary concerns of the paper in this topic: intersectional perspectives of gender such as sexuality, missing research information on gender and sexuality, the importance of the gender and sexuality discussion, and correspondence of personal interests to research findings on the topic.
Central Research Concerns
Research concerns in this paper include common gender stereotypes, effects of gender stereotypes on sexuality, gender and sexuality and their correlation, relationships between sexuality and other factors such as education, and existing research works on the topic and their limitations. As Ellemers (2018) notes, gender stereotypes have set various thresholds for males and females in the sense that failure to attain minimum requirements set by thee society leads to dire consequences, which have affected the lives of many people over the years. Therefore, based on the weight of the subject, this research will evaluate the effects of stereotypes for example on a person’s sexuality.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Significance of the Research Topic
Gender and sexuality are important factors that impact human life on a daily basis. Therefore, conducting studies on gender and sexuality is significant to understand its different aspects for better decision making. Studying about gender and sexuality and in particular gender stereotyping helps in knowing more about the human body, and the mind. Since the term gender is associated with physicality, studies on the topic contain knowledge on reproductive organs, their functionality, and reproductive health hygiene ( Ellemers, 2018) . Therefore, human beings are able to take care of themselves using acquired information. Sexuality is also another key topic that helps people understand how the subconscious part of the human mind is connected to sexuality, and how to live with, and appreciate other people with different sexualities from their own.
Studying gender and sexuality provides a platform for knowledge on different definitions related to gender and sexuality, expectations of the society about males, females, sex, and reproduction hence defining political systems, medical and healthcare systems, legal processes, and education. For instance, better understanding of human reproduction helps in establishment of proper maternity care centers for expectant mothers before and after giving birth, academic courses and training to train medical personnel with specialization in gender and sexuality concerns, national and federal laws guiding coexistence of all types of gender and sexual orientations while protecting each one of them, and inclusive political systems for governance.
In the entertainment industry, that is, music, creative art works and painting, movie and film production, acting, and sports, audiences are moved emotionally by elements of masculinity, feminism, and sex. Therefore this explains how gender and sexuality are intrinsically part of humans.
Findings on Research Articles/Books
Gender stereotyping is detrimental to either male or female victims as it undermines enjoyment of a person’s freedoms and sexuality choices. A growing body of research reports that ascribing particular attributes to a woman or a man is wrong since it results to infringement of a person’s human rights such as entitlement to one’s sexual decisions. According to Ellemers (2018) stereotyping of one’s gender places a limitation on a person’s pursuit of individual abilities for example, the vice limits development of one’s professional career and the latitude to make personal choices in life. For example, some societies take it as a normal and acceptable when a man is accused of marital rape due to the skewed societal perception of women who are regarded as men’s sexual properties. In other environments, there exists stereotypes that compel women to dress themselves modestly to protect themselves from possible perpetration of sexual violence by men. Empirical research undertaken on gender stereotyping report that the vice has an adverse disproportionate impact on some certain cohorts of women. For example, women with disabilities, the minorities, migrants, or women with low economic status are negatively impacted by gender stereotyping. Wrongful stereotyping against women leads to possible discrimination. In addition, gender stereotyping is a primary causative factor in trampling of vast array of individual entitlements such as right to health, freedom from gender based violence, right to marriage and family ( Endendijk et al., 2013) . Moreover, perpetuating gender stereotyping may curtail a person’s right to education, political participation, right to develop health relations, right to representation and entitlement to effective remedy in cases of violations.
Current literature delineate that gender stereotyping occur to both male and females. Describing men with words that pertain to their behavior and referring to women with adjectives that relate to their physical appearance is a form of gender stereotyping against both genders. After deploying machine learning to analyze a series of books, a group of Copenhagen University scientists made findings that women are described with adjectives such as “beautiful” while men are said to be “rational”. Additional words frequently used to describe both genders include “sexy” relating to women and brave as well as righteous pertaining to men. At statistical level, the researchers from Copen Hagen University made a revelation that negative stereotyping adjectives are five times more used against women than in men. As Koch, D'Mello and Sackett (2015) explain, differing the language used to describe men and women for example in employee recommendations, results to a higher likelihood of propagating an undue influence on the candidate who secures employment for instance in when corporations utilize IT infrastructure to sort job applications.
An examination of gender stereotypes in early child hood by Fawcett Society revealed that negative perceptions are created in the minds of children. A series of literature encompassing education, neurobiology, economics and psychology noted that gender stereotyping characterized by teaching staff gender imbalances in early childhood environment has an adverse implication on children perception. In such learning environments, children are enlightened about gender social relevance at their tender ages consequently leading to development of stereotypes towards careers at the age of 6 years ( Bian, Leslie & Cimpian, 2017) . The Fawcett society made findings that in the UK for example, only 2% of pre-primary teachers were males. Additional revelations were made that instructors often paid more attention to boys that in girls. Practitioners were found to have a stereotyping behaviour perpetuated by rewarding “gender appropriate demeanor”. In such teaching environments, the Fawcett society found instructors who used gendered language to make reference to boys and girls. According to Chapter 7, on the Gendered Society, gender stereotyping in pre-school learning environments limits children sexuality and shapes their behavior by replacing them with specific set of allowable behaviors. Credible research reports that such propagation in school environment perpetuates gender imbalances in later life stages and restricts opportunities which negatives impacts children sexuality ( Bian et al., 2017) . A Drawing the Future publication made a staggering finding that four times as many boys had engineering as their future ambitions relative to girls.
Gender stereotyping is rife in the media realm. The vice has negatively affected women representation sexuality in the field of media. Past research reported that women are drastically underrepresented ( Kay, Matuszek & Munson, 2015) . Ms. Corat, a UNESCO affiliate, pointed out that gender stereotyping in the field of communication and information has often led to gender based harassment and sexual violence against women journalists ( Ellemers, 2018) . Additional implications include devastating impacts on female’s psychological wellbeing which affects their ability to carry out delegated duties. According to Ms. Corat, gender based stereotyping and objectification of females often pushes women out of a men controlled industry and often leads to self-censorship.
Gender stereotyping has historically led to underrepresentation of women in STEM subjects. Research links the fewer number of women in disciplines such as science and math to gender stereotyping which has detrimental effects on their sexuality ( Kay et al., 2015) . Perpetuating stereotyping has had adverse effects on girl’s performance and beliefs one their sexuality. The resultant outcome is the emergence of STEM gap in childhood and later widening in later stages in life ( Bian et al., 2017) . The category of women has been stereotyped as lacking skills in STEM tasks, a phenomenal that has led to deteriorated performance. As Koch et al., (2015) infers, stereotyping some subjects as masculine has produced detrimental impacts and threats against women. Gender stereotyping has a toll on women sexuality for example, women have been made to believe that domestic work ought to be left to females. Current research reports that case scenario of division of labour has emerged in foraging societies. Generalization based on gender has made women to believe that they are supposed to play the care taker role and most domestic works. The contrasting categorization of careers and distribution into social roles has led to inculcated beliefs consequently giving rise to stereotypical mindsets. Stereotyping has led to inducement of faulty sexuality assessment which has negatively affected work outcomes and spurred stereotypic thinking ( Cramer, Million & Perreault, 2002) .
Gender stereotyping has often led to characterization of one’s sexuality which influences a person’s identity. Role segregation has influenced women sexuality in a certain way which has led to their high concentration in specific labour forces and occupations. Women have been made to think that they can only relate to positions that are communal attributes but not agentic. In the United States for example, women were found to be in high numbers in three common occupations that is, teaching, nurse profession and administrative assistants. The negative perception created on women sexuality due to gender stereotyping has led to emergence of underrepresentation of females in competitive fields ( Kay et al., 2015) . Women have been left to fight for positions that relate to social contributions and occupations requiring interpersonal skills. Women continue to take disproportionate amount of tasks in childcare responsibilities. The society due to perceptions created expect women to do so always.
Several theories offer explanation relating to the development of gender stereotypes. The attribution theory offers insights into gender stereotyping by making propositions that certain intersections of people are prone to attribute behaviour and related personality traits when directing their view to others that when viewing themselves. The theoretical explanations offered by attribution paradigm gives reason to believe that stereotypes are likely to be used to characterize others in a specific gender category than when characterizing oneself. Social role theory provides explanations arguing that gender stereotypes emanate from division of labour based on gender stratifications that characterize society ( Cramer et al., 2002) . According to the theory, enacting social roles linked to context than gender give rise to controlled behavior. The social cultural theory by Eagly and Wood assert that derivation of gender differences in labour results from division of labour by the society. Individual adaptations according to social cultural theory result to emergence of psychological differences prescribed to gender roles. For example, the greater size and strength made men to pursue activities that gave them their current greater status which later were carried along to become a dominant behavior ( Cramer et al., 2002) . The female’s child bearing biological capacity according to the theory led to development of relationship and nurturance skills hence their stereotypical perception.
Missing Perspectives
The literature findings miss some certain perspectives on cultural based gender stereotyping. The articles and books have failed to shed light on whether gender stereotypes are deeply entrenched in some culture more than others. The findings also miss the perspective on the difference of stereotyped behaviors to get an understanding on if countries differ regarding exercised stereotypes. The findings would have addressed the perspective of future propagation of gender stereotyping and the likelihood of ending the behavior in years to come. This would have shed light on the probability of having a world that is free from gender stereotyping. The research findings have failed to address prescriptive gender stereotypes among the elderly populations. It would have also been important for the literature to offer a perspective explanation on if people maintain any prescriptive gender stereotypes pertaining children of different age categorizations.
The findings from books and articles reviewed shed light on gender and sexuality intersection. Deductions made have revealed that the society has a pre-conception about attributes and expects some characteristics to be possessed by a particular gender group. Some roles are expected to be performed by males while others by females. There exists an intersection between male and female gender pertaining some characteristics that ought to be associated with one gender but not the other ( Ellemers, 2018) . There is also an assumption based intersection on male and female genders. Some stereotypical assumptions are held towards males and should not be associated with females.
My interest to gender stereotyping topic corresponds to the findings in the books and articles. I expressed interest in studying human biological behaviour linked to sexuality perceptions, which has been addressed by the articles by explaining that differences in characterization may result from individual adaptation to particular roles which the society assigns to them. My interest in importance of understanding sexuality differences corresponds to the elaborations by the articles regarding division of labour and roles that are expected to be performed by for example females while others by males.
What I have learnt
I have learned that violation of gender stereotype prescriptions would likely spur reactions from the perceivers who have a firm belief in those pre-conceptions. I have also learned that going against the sexuality perceptions in some societies creates anger and moral outrage. The book and article’s review have enlightened me that gender stereotyping affects females more and has adverse implications more in men than in women. I have acquired new knowledge that stereotype regarding women roles with families often amounts to division of labour which leads to lower levels of education and poverty among women. The research has made me change my mind and compelled me to denounce the gender stereotyping beliefs that were deeply entrenched within me. I will put efforts not to categorize genders for example based on roles each should be assigned. I will endeavour to always avoid gendered language and instead use neutral language when referring to both genders to avoid scenario where my assertions would be interpreted as stereotypical to either gender.
Conclusion
Gender stereotyping is characterized by ascribing to either male or female attributes or characterizations and pre-conceptions about traits that ought to be possessed by members of either male or female genders. Gender stereotyping is detrimental to a person’s sexuality since it limits an individual’s abilities to pursue their choices and affects identity. Gender stereotyping is wrongful if it amounts to infringement of a person’s freedoms and entitlements. The behavior adversely affects a person’s sexuality. For example it may lead to induced hate towards self hence negatively impacting a person’s self-esteem. The research is important in converting and changing people’s stereotypical perceptions. The research would be essential in the broader context of formulating remedies to curb propagation of gender based stereotypical behavior. Future research ought to address the perspective of prescriptive gender stereotypes in respect to children and the elderly.
References
Bian, L., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2017). Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests. Science , 355 (6323), 389-391.
Cramer, K. M., Million, E., & Perreault, L. A. (2002). Perceptions of musicians: Gender stereotypes and social role theory. Psychology of Music , 30 (2), 164-174.
Chapter 7, The Gendered Society, The Gendered Classroom, Schools are like old-fashioned factories, and what they produce is gendered individuals.
Ellemers, N. (2018). Gender stereotypes. Annual review of psychology , 69 , 275-298.
Endendijk, J. J., Groeneveld, M. G., van Berkel, S. R., Hallers-Haalboom, E. T., Mesman, J., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2013). Gender stereotypes in the family context: Mothers, fathers, and siblings. Sex roles , 68 (9-10), 577-590.
Kay, M., Matuszek, C., & Munson, S. A. (2015, April). Unequal representation and gender stereotypes in image search results for occupations. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 3819-3828). ACM.
Koch, A. J., D'Mello, S. D., & Sackett, P. R. (2015). A meta-analysis of gender stereotypes and bias in experimental simulations of employment decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(1), 128.
Tolman, et. al. Companion Slides to “That’s Just How it Is”
