It is common for modern society to think stereotypically and share gender roles. Getting to know and making the first impression, many are mistaken, beginning to ascribe to the interlocutor those qualities that are accepted, without delving into whether he possesses them. Everything is based solely on conventional wisdom. Paying attention to nested stereotypes, you can control them so as not to allow us to influence our life and perception of the world. One of the most common cliches is the idea of the typicality of female and male behavior. The gender role is stereotypes, they are formed in the presence of social roles, which in turn are fundamental differences in the female and male psyche and the activities of people. A large role in this is played by the culture of society.
Cultural stereotypes
Ordinary consciousness has in its structure an integral part - cultural stereotypes. In other words, using collective experience, the individual throughout his life receives a certain suggestion during training and communication, through which he subsequently orientates himself in life and shapes his behavior in society.
It is worth noting that gender roles in society in different cultures and social groups differ from each other, sometimes dramatically. All of these cliches arise based on roles and
social status. That is, through these stereotypes a norm arises for a woman and a man, how exactly they should behave in a particular society. And when we see this or that manifestation of a person’s character, we automatically compare it with our idea of the gender role of a person.
Gender differences and children
It is believed that, depending on the gender of the child, adults perceive it differently. In other words, the same manifestations of a child’s behavior will be perceived by adults in different ways, depending on whether the boy or girl in front of them. And accordingly, certain behaviors and reactions are expected from the child, depending on their gender. Because of this, a suggestion is made to the child as he should be and false, stereotypical thinking is imposed. That is, the gender role is stereotypical thinking that is suggested to the child during education and socialization.
Gender identity
This term expresses the social features of a person, characterizing him from a certain point of view and showing his belonging to a group of men or women. The most important thing here is how a person evaluates himself, and how his socialization occurs in a particular culture. Psychological, social, cultural and behavioral characteristics in the aggregate represent the psychological gender. When interacting with other people and while observing them, a person develops his ideas about which group he is more suitable for.
And already on the basis of his findings, he begins to choose for himself the behavior and hobbies of the group that is closer to him. This is how gender social roles are distributed. Moreover, the manifestation of stereotypes occurs at all stages of development. Even at the youngest preschool age, children are already instilled with a perception of a clear separation of gender characteristics. So, communication between boys and girls is much less common than spending time together among children of the same sex; interests are also shared, some should be carried away by one, others by the other. Therefore, we often underestimate the role of
gender stereotypes in the formation of personality and worldview. When, at a more mature age, men and women seek communication, they do not understand each other, their interests diverge.
Styles of social behavior
When observing the diversity of communication between representatives of different genders in society, one can notice various relationships between people. In other words, depending on the purpose of communication between representatives of different sexes, the behavior of both will be very different. Previously, men were credited with such mandatory qualities as activity, aggressiveness, effectiveness, ability to solve problems.
Women had to be emotional, passive, the main thing that interested them was the relationship, not the case. Scientists have found that between infants there are no differences in the style of behavior, but they arise already with age. Moreover, the older the person, the brighter they appear. The gender role of a woman or a man is based solely on the requirements of society, but at the same time, a person evaluates himself, taking into account these needs, and when not matching with the template, he begins to consider himself worse than others. That is, the first signs of such gender differences arise only when the child learns about the need for their presence. And manifesting them, he simply performs a given program. But at the same time, boys can show signs of girls, and vice versa. In general, it has been proven that socialization is the main factor influencing gender differences.
Submission of people to gender norms
According to the research of Sean Burn, there are three types of subordination of a person to social norms. The first is compliance, it manifests itself as a person’s approval of social norms that are unacceptable to him, and adjustment to them in order to avoid condemnation, punishment and in the hope of being approved by society.
Then comes the approval, that is, the full consent of the person with the presented gender norms. The third type is identification, a person behaves in full accordance with the role model of behavior presented in society.
Deviation from stereotypes
Modern society is not at all like a stereotypical device. Therefore, the current gender role is a vague concept. Many women find their destiny in obviously male occupations, that is, in business, science and other things. And some men run the household, do children, work, and other activities, by definition, women's.
In society, it is accepted that men and women differ not only in their character, but also in psychology. If the stereotypical perception is violated, then the person is condemned and misunderstood by relatives, which, undoubtedly, negatively affects the development of the person.
The negative effect of stereotypes
Many modern psychologists believe that emphasizing gender differences is incorrect. The gender role is primarily the imposition of the needs of society without taking into account the desires and goals of the individual. In other words, the differences between a woman and a man are exaggerated; in the view of the situation on the part of society, it is not subjective. So, considering the same act, women and men will be treated differently. And this is incorrect, since stereotypical representations do not correspond to the actual development of the personality, its character and behavior. In addition, they influence the development of certain qualities, and by distinguishing between the gender roles of men and women, one character trait is developed more, and the other is inhibited and suppressed.
For example, if you make a boy hide his emotions, with age he can forget how to perceive them, and will begin to deny their presence in other people, not understanding their manifestations. It should be understood that each person is individual, regardless of their gender. This will allow us to normalize the psychological state, more productively do our work and be harmonious. Unfortunately, despite the flexibility of modern stereotypes, many people still struggle within themselves, not only with public cliches, but also with their own perceptions.