Gender Stereotypes In American Culture

Women are second class citizens and should walk behind a man, is this thought in essence that many cultures portray correct? The current culture is portraying this in covert ways through stereotyping. Stereotype a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Today United States culture has moved from the old defined roles between both genders. However, there are gender roles, stereotypes, myths, and/or controls in society that still exist today. These niches has divided the country, because of the polarizing views on the key topics of equality. Additionally, the male dominance has made exacerbated the situation where there is competition between both genders. The result of this has made
one gender despise the other gender and its own in its gender. To get rid of mainstream stereotypes, there must be standards that is equal to completely measure both genders by the same standards. Additionally we need to understand that differences is not a weakness but a strengths. Holding both genders by the same standards in everything will get rid of evidence that supports most stereotypes. Additionally by understanding the true meaning of equality and giving it, stereotyping will have a lesser prominence in our culture. Even though American society has become gender neutral and gives equal rights to both, there are still many limitations placed on gender, some are fair and some are not if one would look at today’s social policies.
There are many limitations based on gender, some are fair and some are not.
American society is heavily male dominate, even though there has been many changes in this way of thinking the society still place limitations on women’s role in leaderships, types of jobs they perform and how much they get paid. There are some things that has limitations based on physical ability, which is fare, however, they are un-necessarily extremely difficult for women to try if one sees that women is completely equal to men in ability. It is scientifically proven that the male body is built differently than the female’s body. Male’s body is able to produce larger and stronger muscles then female. If one would base job types and duties on the ability of using strength could see that they would prefer males in a job type over women, one because of qualities they are looking for, and the male gender would have the preponderance of the ability pool. If one would truly hold to preponderance in ability pool, and say I believe that I would advertise more to the males than females would not be wrong. Where it becomes wrong would be to say I am only going to hire males because males has this attribute that women does not have, then there is a problem. This thought would totally discount Females that are physically able and willing to do the job and that is “No Bueno”. Now if one would look at social policies that set standards one would have to look at the underlying message that is spoken in
the policies. Taking a look at the military physical fitness test one would see two different standards, which perpetuate some stereotypes in some. The military fitness testing there they are broken up to two different categories and the sub categories under each. Using pushups which is a subcategory of males and females as an example, a male between 17 – 21 years of age to get 100 percent on their pushups are required to do 71 pushups and for a female at the same age are required to only do 42 (US Army Basic, 2016). In the Air Force looking at the same data males between the age of 30 – 39 must do at a minimum 27 pushups while females are only required to do 14 (airforce-pt . com, n.d.). One would see policies in place state that males are stronger than females and are expected to do more. This feeds into the perception that males are stronger than females and if one sees these requirements would link this to jobs that requires strength would be just for males since they are stronger, which is a simple way of thinking, and there are many people who thinks this shallow. These conflicts in policies and what one say reinforces the thoughts behind some stereotypes and to break all stereo types policies need to be in line to support equality and eliminate preconceived thoughts.
Stereo types are placed on people who does not fit in societies social norms.
American and European culture has set different roles between male and females. These differences has limited these two groups to certain jobs and positions in society. Scantlebury states, “Gender as a continuum is social and relational, rather than categorical. In other words, gender only exists as a comparative quality (if people are “less masculine” than others, they are also “more feminine” than those same others, even if their biological sex is the same)” (Scantlebury, 2009). It once was thought that male careers were policeman, fireman, and doctors and female careers were nurse, teacher, and care givers. These were and are still to a point the social norms in the society today. However, it is proven that women and men’s are growing and are as capable in reversed roles while keeping their sexual and most importantly their personal identity. If one would look at the data of mixing gender in these careers, one would see that significant advancement has been made because of the changes in paradigms of how we look at careers. Subconsciously, these roles are still being reinforced in schools. “Teachers reward girls for being compliant, quiet, and helpful, which are stereotypic feminized behaviors. These behaviors in girls are also associated with White culture. Thus African American girls, whose socialization encourages assertive behavior, are often at odds with teachers who deem practices
such as asking questions before being acknowledged, and non-compliance, as unfeminine (Scantlebury, 2009)”. This stereotype is also seen cultural on the micro-level by not only labeling a gender to a social norm but also races. Social norms should be reexamined and adjusted to today’s social standards and encompassing all cultures views. Additionally, once some stereotypes are broken, don’t create new stereotypes because some personally choses to see roles differently. Gender Stereotyping is engrained in American and European cultures. The subtle biases has encouraged and continues to drive to paradigm of social norms between the two genders.
American society has become gender neutral and gives equal rights to women. In theory and according to The Civil Rights Amendment of 1964 and The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission women has the same rights as men, since it does not allow discrimination based on race, ethnic, or gender criteria, however; old style of thinking has not left the culture and people are creative and use different criteria’s to deny opportunities (Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). American society in practice has come a long way, but many industries uses other means to disqualify women from jobs to circumvent the law. Additionally, many policies from the government down has placed exemptions on employment opportunity. Women’s rights has been fought for since the 1920 and as of 1994 women’s rights has not been amended to the constitution by only being ratified in 35 states 3 short of the 38 States need to become an amendment. However, as of January 1st 2016 the armed forces has fully implemented some policy changes. Women are allowed to serve in any jobs in the armed services, provided they meet gender neutral performance standards, which was initiated in 2013, opens 220,000 jobs to females (Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). Even though America has become gender neutral, there are still many changes that need to be made to give equal rights and remove the gender roles stereotype.
In conclusion, although American society has become gender neutral and gives equal rights to both. , there are still many limitations placed on gender, some are fair and some are not if one would look at today’s social policies. Stereo types are placed on people who does not fit in society’s gender roles norms. To remove stereotypes we must understand some evolutionary differences between men and women, and not look at the differences as weaknesses, but as of strengths. Also change in paradigms is in the way one looks at just the male dominance as the bar of strength and how are social structure should is set. Society should relook at what are scientifically true about each gender, and learn how to mix the traits of both and recognize that some people may have traits that may be typically displayed in one gender. As stated in Meaningful Life Center’s article “Men are physically stronger. By nature, they are usually more aggressive and externally oriented. In contrast, a woman usually embodies the ideal of inner dignity. Some people confuse such subtlety with weakness; in truth, it is stronger than the most aggressive physical force imaginable. True human dignity does not shout; it is a strong, steady voice that speaks from within. The nature of a woman, while subtle, is not weak. And the nature of a man, while aggressive, is not brutish. For man and woman to be complete, they must each possess both energies” (Woman & Men - Different but Equal?, n.d.). Western societies need to reexamine roles in society and remove stereotypes based on gender biases.