The gender stereotypes, Also known as gender roles, they are behaviors, attitudes, thoughts and emotions that are considered appropriate or characteristic for a person based on their biological sex. The construction of gender roles is normally organized around the concepts of masculinity and femininity, although sometimes this is not fulfilled.
Gender roles are largely common to very different cultures across the globe, which is why it is believed that their basis is largely biological. Even so, some of its more specific components vary depending on the society in which they are found..
There is currently a debate between experts who consider that gender stereotypes have been formed exclusively at the cultural level, and those who think that biology plays a very important role in their appearance. Thus, there is evidence that supports both theories, so today it is not easy to reach a firm conclusion on the subject..
Nowadays, there are some groups (especially those related to feminism and the LGBT community) that defend the idea that gender stereotypes are harmful and cause all kinds of problems for those who experience them. In this article we will see exactly what they consist of and what are the most common examples.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines gender roles as "socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for the men and women that comprise it".
However, as we have already seen, today there is no consensus on whether its appearance is purely due to culture or whether biology plays a more important role..
On the other hand, even among those who believe that gender stereotypes are purely social, there is a debate about the extent to which this means that they are arbitrary or modifiable, and whether it is possible or even desirable to eliminate them entirely. Because of this, it is not easy to find a definition that satisfies everyone about this concept..
Below we will list some of the most important arguments both from the constructionist position (the one that defends that gender roles are purely social), and from the biological.
Some theories, which are commonly grouped under the name of "social construction theories" or constructionist, claim that gender stereotypes have appeared in our societies simply due to the way in which our culture has developed. According to their defenders, if we modified society we could eliminate them completely.
Often times, constructionist theories see gender stereotypes as something very negative, and therefore need to be eliminated. Its defenders think that the roles that arise from them are hierarchical, and that they give men a dominant position in society, so they would be a form of oppression towards women and other groups, such as homosexuals and transsexuals.
On a practical level, it has been proven that children learn to classify themselves at the young age of three. At this point, they begin to be aware of what the roles associated with their sex are, and they generally try to conform to them. In this way, stereotypes are perpetuated at the social level and continue to pass from generation to generation without being questioned..
On the other hand, some defenders of these theories point to transsexual or intersex people as proof that not everyone follows the roles associated with their biological sex.
In contrast to constructionist theories, there is another totally opposite view on the origin of gender stereotypes, based mainly on biology, neuroscience and evolutionary psychology. From this perspective, it is considered that gender roles arose as a product of the evolution of our species, and are therefore innate and very difficult to modify.
From these theories, it is considered that the behaviors considered as typically masculine and feminine arose due to the necessity of our species to divide its functions in ancestral times..
Thus, men supposedly had to take on more physical and goal-related tasks, while women had to develop more social and emotional skills.
There is much evidence to support biological theories about gender stereotypes. On the one hand, it has been proven that the vast majority of cultures around the world reproduce basically the same patterns of what is considered masculine and feminine. In addition, those cultures in which greater gender equality has been achieved at the legal level normally show a greater presence of these stereotypes.
On the other hand, modern neuroimaging studies seem to indicate that there are indeed important differences between the brains of men and women, which could be behind many of the most common gender stereotypes at the cultural level. However, it is very likely that society also influences to some extent their expression and acceptance of them..
It should be noted that from biological theory it is considered that, although gender roles may be innate, it is possible that they also cause negative consequences.
In almost every culture in the world, male gender stereotypes are strongly related to the idea that a man is valuable only to the extent that he is able to contribute something to society. Because of this, men are expected not to ask for help, to hide their emotions, to be aggressive, and to pursue their goals relentlessly..
In addition to this, it was traditionally seen that men had a duty to provide protection, assistance and care to women; but at the same time, they were encouraged to display highly exaggerated sexuality and to have a large number of sexual partners throughout their lives. In this sense, male infidelity is generally not as frowned upon as female infidelity..
On the other hand, male gender stereotypes are also very focused on avoiding behaviors that are considered typically female, such as displays of weakness in public or excessive loving behaviors. Men who display these behaviors are generally dismissed as homosexuals, in a derogatory way.
At a global level, most societies in history have considered that women should fulfill a role mainly related to motherhood and child rearing. Consequently, female gender stereotypes are very different from those we have just seen for men..
In this way, it was traditionally thought that women should display a more reserved, compassionate, empathetic and caring behavior. These were considered virtues both in the realm of motherhood and in that of the couple, and therefore they were valued in a general way.
On the other hand, women were expected to take care of their physical appearance as much as possible, since much of their social value was drawn from their beauty and youthful appearance. At the same time, female gender stereotypes went against the ambition of women at the professional level..
Just as men who did not comply with their gender stereotypes faced rejection and insults related to homosexuality, women who did not fit their supposed social role were repudiated by the rest of the people of their culture.
Depending on whether constructionist or evolutionary theories are followed, gender stereotypes can be seen as an extremely damaging element to eliminate, or as a necessary consequence of our history as a species. However, regardless of which approach is chosen, today we know that gender roles can bring quite a few problems.
Thus, as we have already seen, those people who do not comply with what is expected of them based on their gender stereotypes tend to suffer strong rejection at the social level, which can cause considerable psychological suffering. Some experts consider, for example, that this phenomenon is behind the high number of male suicides that occur throughout the world year after year.
In addition, gender stereotypes also seem to be responsible to some extent for economic and social inequality between men and women, since what is expected of the former correlates more with professional success than the way in which they are supposed to. behave the second.
Since research began on gender stereotypes, many proposals have been made on what would be the best way to mitigate their negative consequences. Again, the approach chosen to study them will greatly modify the solutions proposed..
Thus, those who defend constructionist theories think that it is necessary to completely end gender roles. According to them, the only way would be to use education, often from childhood, to change traditional conceptions of what is typically masculine and feminine..
On the other hand, those who defend biological theories believe that not only is it not possible to end gender stereotypes, but that doing so would be detrimental to people on a psychological level. As an alternative, they propose looking for new ways to express our innate tendencies that better fit with today's society and that can help us lead the best possible lifestyle..
From this perspective, on the other hand, the need to respect and accept those people who, for different reasons, do not fit into the stereotypes normally associated with their biological sex is generally emphasized..
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