Representations: Gender HW 8.5

Stereotypes are:

Simplified representations which focus on certain characteristics of the group and assumes these to be shared across all group members. Inherent within a stereotype is a judgement on this characteristic (usually negative – but not always).

Stereotypes are often assumed to be negative as:

1 The judgement making the basis of the stereotype is usually a negative one – gossip is a bad thing, a waste of time.

2 They do not allow for individual traits to exist in members of the group – some women may not be interested in other people’s domestic lives.

3 They are created by those outside the stereotyped group and are often seen to be an exertion of power – the stereotyped group often has no way to answer back.

4 The stereotype gives a ‘complete picture’ about the group and implies a knowledge and understanding that can be applied to all members of the group.

Gender Stereotypes

Before any discussion of the representation of gender in magazine

can begin, it is important to be clear on the difference between sex,

gender and sexuality.

• Sex refers to a person’s biological sex, whether they are male or

female

• Gender refers to the roles or behaviours a person is socialised

into according to their sex, whether they are masculine or feminine

• Sexuality refers to a person’s sexual preference, whether they

are heterosexual (straight), homosexual (gay) or bisexual.

British Gender Stereotypes likes and dislikes:

Men like:	Women like:
Technology (cars, gadgets and computers)	Fashion (shopping, clothes and make-up)
Casual sex with many partners	Committed relationships with one partner
Comedy and practical jokes	Celebrity gossip (which can be ‘bitchy’ or mean to women)
Drinking to get drunk (beers and spirits)	Drinking to be sociable (wines and liqueurs)
Computer games like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty on consoles like Play Station 3 or	Computer games like Brain Training on Nintendo DS or Wii Fit
Action / adventure films	‘Chick flicks’ and romantic comedies

Appearance and behaviour stereotypes:

Men are / should be:	Women are / should be:
Masculine	Feminine
Tall	Short
Big (muscular and broad)	Small (thin and petite)
Dominant	Submissive
Strong	Weak
Aggressive	Passive
Breadwinner (goes to work)	Domestic (stays at home)
Competitive (works against others / cares about self)	Communal (works with others / cares about others)
Intelligent (thinks about things)	Intuitive (feels things / spiritual)
Rational (solves problems by thinking of solutions)	Emotional (solves problems by comforting others)
Active (does things)	Communicative (talks about

Various male and female stereotypes

Male Stereotypes

·       Traditional masculine man – often shown as being muscly, strong, brave, heterosexual, working in manual jobs such as building, plumbing etc.  They are often aggressive, tall, and dominant over women, works to provide for family, does no cleaning, cooking or childcare

·      'New' Man – Often shown as being less masculine but still heterosexual, very peaceful, looks after the family, stays at home to look after family, does cleaning and cooking etc, shown as equal to women. Think David Beckham....

     This is from a site called Best Daily:

     Does your man prefer bubbles to beer? He's not alone.

A new survey reveals the rise of the Metrosexual that shows most blokes now swap the pub for a pedicure and shun traditional 'man's man,' interests.
Face masks, manicures, bubble baths and baking list high on male pampering pursuits and now Lambrini has launched a new drink Ladbrini to meet their changing tastes.
Best list our top Metrosexual men.
David Beckham
Rylan Clark
Simon Cowell
David Walliams - Think of other examples of new men

·      Gay Man – Often shown as being very feminine, weak, working in jobs such as fashion or hairdressing, bitchy, etc

Female stereotypes

·       Traditional feminine woman – often shown as being girly, likes pink, wears dresses, does feminine jobs such as working in fashion, hairdressing or stays at home to look after the children, needs a man to cope, weak, scared of things, needs rescuing, pure and innocent.

·      Sexy woman – very flirty, dresses in a revealing way, more powerful than traditional women, uses men to get what she wants, no loyalty to other women, bitchy.

·      Lesbian Woman – Often shown as dressing in a masculine fashion, doing masculine roles, hating men, looking masculine.

Economical Issues with Gender

• Economically, women still have trouble finding jobs because of their gender.
• Often times men will make more money than women in the workforce.
• It is rare to find females with higher wages in the same occupation.
• In the 2008 Presidential Elections, it was the first time ever a woman has made it to the primary elections.

Objectification

Objectification is a notion central to feminist theory. It can be roughly defined as the seeing and/or treating a person, usually a woman, as an object.

     Sexual objectification refers to the practice of regarding or treating another person merely as an instrument (object) towards one's sexual pleasure, and a sex object is a person who is regarded simply as an object of sexual gratification. Objectification more broadly is an attitude that regards a person as a commodity or as an object for use, with little or no regard for a person's personality. 

     Objectification is most commonly examined at a societal level, but can also arise at an individual level.

   

     The concept of sexual objectification and, in particular, the objectification of women, is an important idea in feminist theory and psychological theories derived from feminism.Many feminists regard sexual objectification as objectionable and as playing an important role in gender inequality. Some social commentators, however, argue that some modern women objectify themselves as an expression of their empowerment over men, while others argue that increased sexual freedom for women, gay, and bisexual men has led to an increase of the objectification of     men. The idea of sexual objectification has also been an important area of discussion and debate in the area of sexual ethics and the philosophy of sex.

http://www.object.org.uk/

http://www.about-face.org/


http://www.STOPOBJECTIFICATION.com/

Social issues with Gender

• Not being socially accepted if a man or woman does not follow their gender roles.
• If a man or woman does not feel socially accepted, confidence will decrease and can lead to problems such as eating disorders, depression, or suicide.