Gender Roles; How Are They Affecting People?

Gender stereotyping has been around forever, from children’s toys, advertisements, and even classroom stereotyping there is no escaping it. And it can all become very harmful. Gender stereotypes can often shatter people's self confidence, stop them from achieving goals and even pursuing their dreams. This idea is especially true with children because they are most influenced by it. Society has created “gender norms” for each sex and if someone does not fit the gender specific criteria they often feel down about themselves. As an example, “Girls are smarter than boys” is a very common stereotype. This may be true in some situations but some not, often making boys upset even though this statement is not true.

Girls vs. Boys Toys. Growing Up Gendered. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

    <http://growingupgendered.weebly.com/toys-and-advertising.html>.

As stated before, children’s toys are the best possible example of gender stereotyping and how it can be harmful. Take a look at this photo above, on the left we have the section for boy toys and the right is designated for girls. This is obvious because society has deemed that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Also notice in the background of the right picture, many strollers and images of baby dolls can be seen because girls are perceived as more nurturing than boys. Although, this is not true to all girls. Then looking over to the left, Lego and helicopters, images of cranes and bulldozers can be seen because boys are seen to be more handy than girls. Which is also not true of all boys. This segregation creates conflict in a child’s mind, for example, a little boy may walk into the store and want to buy a doll, but may be embarrassed because the toys on the right are considered to be exclusively for girls, making him upset time and time again. Also ingraining this idea of “I can only play with boy toys” into his mind.      

 

"Gender Stereotypes Found in Children." Pinterest.

Jasmine Reyes, 2014. Web. 9 

Jan. 2016. <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/572449802605674573/>.

Another example involving children being subject to gender stereotyping is this ad for a play kitchen. At first glance it may seem innocent enough, but take a closer look and you will notice that the little girl is doing the laundry while the boy stands back and observes. This image reinforces the idea that the women in the house should be doing the domestic work while the men stand back and handle the “business end” of things. Again, this ad may seem harmless, but a child being exposed to this kind of gender stereotyping over and over will make kids believe that they can only be certain things, and can only have a limited set of aspirations due to the gender stereotypes they are exposed to at such young ages.

    

McDonald's Southwest Salad Advertisement.

understandinggenderstereotypes.wordpress.com. Kristin Potochnik, 8

    July 2015. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

    <https://understandinggenderstereotypes.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/

    original_62366_rwcizhouakn5nxkpeszh1kgso.jpg>.

In addition to children being the subject of gender stereotyping, adults are just as big of a target, and it can have the same harmful effects. In the image above a woman seems to be enjoying her new salad from McDonald’s. The colours suggest a positive message as well as the image of her dancing in the

background, but really this is just another stereotype on women. The image shows a woman eating a salad, which suggests that she is most likely on a diet, something that women are often associated with. And the image in the background of her dancing is yet another stereotype, reinforcing the idea that all women love shoes and care about their appearances. Ads like this can have a big impact on the way women see themselves, they may feel unhappy or uncomfortable because they do not fit into society's idea of what a woman should look and feel like. Just like a child, seeing these ads plastered everywhere can really ruin a woman’s self confidence, and make her feel that her appearance is the only thing of importance in society.  

American Football. The Tougher Football. Gender Stereotypes in Advertising.

    bates30, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. <https://bates30.wordpress.com/

    gender-stereotypes-in-advertising/>.

Men are also great examples of gender stereotyping because, just like women, society has created these gender norms for males saying that they should act and look a certain way. This image above shows a man’s arm, obviously displaying a football that has been stitched into it. Again, a seemingly innocent ad for American Football but when taking a closer look the stereotypes are revealed. This ad is suggesting that all men should like football or sports in general, as one can tell from the football in the image. It shows what seems to be a very buff man’s arm, which proposes the idea that all men should be tough, and have a substantial amount of muscle on their bodies. Also note that the makers of this ad excluded choosing to use a woman’s arm because there is, yet another, stereotype that surrounds women and their dislike of sports. Some men may look at this ad and feel down because society says that men should enjoy watching and participating in sports, and be naturally athletic, but if they are not then they must not be a man. This further proves how stereotypes can also be hurtful to men just as much as they can be hurtful to women.

In conclusion, gender stereotyping can be seen everywhere, causing much harm to it’s viewers. Children are likely the most influenced by the stereotypes because they are so young and are exposed to these gender norms often. It can lead them to believe that there is a great divide between men and women, and each genders abilities and their place in society. Both genders as adults are also constantly exposed to stereotyping. Mainly in advertising, which can cause each sex to feel discontent with themselves if they do not fit into society’s criteria of what they should be.