Gender stereotypes

The fact that men and women are very different is well known. But often these differences do not act on the principle of "opposites attract", but quite the contrary. In many ways, gender stereotypes interfere with mutual understanding. These are certain patterns of behavior, stable images-symbols, imposed on the representatives of different sexes by public opinion.

Gender roles and stereotypes

According to scientists, the presence of specific roles that men and women play in society, and is the main reason for the emergence of gender stereotypes. So, long ago in Russia there was a tradition that a man is a getter, protector, head of a house. And the woman is the mother, the keeper of the hearth, the teacher. However, at the present stage, there have been changes in the public consciousness, which left their imprint, including the distribution of male and female responsibilities. Beautiful ladies have learned to earn, raise children alone, make decisions independently. And many representatives of the stronger sex, in turn, mastered the "work" of housewives and nannies, shifting the concerns of family financial support to the shoulders of their spouses. And, nevertheless, the vestiges of the past have not gone away, having migrated to "sexual" stamps.

Examples of gender stereotypes

The most common gender stereotypes in modern society are:

1. Men are a strong sex, and women are weak (although it has long been proven that women can be more stable both mentally and physically).
2. Representatives of the stronger sex should not cry (although tears are a natural reaction of the living organism).
3. Men have higher intelligence (just a woman has a more developed hemisphere, responsible for the emotional sphere).
4. An unmarried woman is inferior (Single ladies today are far from uncommon and they in no way consider themselves unhappy or flawed).
5. The main purpose of women - family and children, men - career (many ladies are successfully coping with both, and many men prefer to be good daddies and husbands, not conquerors of career Everest).

It should be noted that a strong influence on gender stereotypes and advertising. With the light hand of this industry in the mass consciousness the following social roles-symbols were fixed:

1. Women's - a city's flirt, an exemplary wife, a business woman, a seductress.
2. Men are adventurer, macho, seducer, successful businessman, "eternal boy", sportsman, exemplary family man.