Gender Differences & Stereotypes

Girls and boys may be as different from each other as beings from separate planets, but society still has a tendency to pigeonhole certain things based on gender difference and stereotypes. From school subjects and careers to the toys given to young children, these misconceptions may have a hindrance on a person's personal growth and ambition.

Sometimes, people look at other individuals and predetermine their actions based on gender. Many of these presumptions have to do with sports. For example, a tall boy may be presumed to be a good basketball player or that a girl would be physically mismatched in a football game. But, such assumptions are often not correct. Research from the U.S. Department of Education suggests that sex is a poor predictor of a person's verbal skills, intellect or even athletic performance.

A common stereotype is that women and girls are not able to compute math problems the same way as their male counterparts. If perpetuated, then female high school students will be less likely to pursue math-related majors in college. Women will not be well-represented in engineering and physical science careers. One way to deter this stereotype is to challenge others who believe this myth and produce examples of women and girls who are successful in math and science.

Many people generalize that boys should refrain from showing any emotion. Athletes especially have to prove that they are tough enough by demonstrating their power and strength. Being "manly" wins the respect of other men and the adoration of women. Crying is discouraged and seen as a sign of weakness. If continued, then the man may not learn how to deal with sad emotions because he will feel the need to "man up" and bottle those feelings inside.

Many of these differences and stereotypes are taught and encouraged at a young age. Many girls are given baby dolls, makeup kits and kitchen play sets to ready themselves for parenthood and other aspects of domestic life while some boys take army soldiers, sports equipment and guns. According to LiveScience.com, children may also be learning gender stereotypes in the home. In a study conducted by Penn State, fathers and mothers interacted differently with the children. Fathers give a more assertive instructions, while mothers tend to be more compliant. Researchers say this discovery could help ingrain presumptions early in child development.

Accessibility of Gender Stereotype Domains: Developmental and ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov NCBI Literature
The present research examined developmental and gender differences in the relative accessibility of different gender stereotype domains. A 1988 Northeastern US
ScienceDaily: Gender Difference News
www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/gender_difference
Men and women. How do their brains differ? Also read current research on gender roles, gender discrimination and other gender issues.
Gender - Gender Roles And Stereotypes - Theory, Family ...
family.jrank.org Relationships
Gender roles are "socially and culturally defined prescriptions and beliefs about the behavior and emotions of men and women" (Anselmi and Law 1998, p. 195).
Girls Are Boys Are : Myths, Stereotypes & Gender Differences
www.campbell-kibler.com/Stereo.pdf PDF file
Girls Are... Boys Are... : Myths, Stereotypes & Gender Differences Patricia B. Campbell, Ph.D. Jennifer N. Storo Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Gender role - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role
A gender role is a set of social and behavioral norms that are generally considered appropriate for either a man or a woman in a social or interpersonal relationship.
Breakthrough - The Gender Stereotypes Project
breakthrough-stereotypes.org.uk
Breakthrough: The Gender Stereotypes Project is a schools programme that kickstarts the gender stereotypes debate among children, their parents and their teachers.
Gender differences - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlFsnlmLmyg
a film (not created by me)that I found adorible. It is the differences between male and female personality wise. ^^ The red circle is the female and the ...
Gender Stereotypes - EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your
ezinearticles.com Book Reviews Childrens Books
Apr 16, 2008 Gender is the first label that a person gets in their life. Not a second after they are born are they categorized as male or female. They do not know it ...
Sexism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex. Sexist attitudes may stem from traditional stereotypes of gender roles, [full citation needed] and may ...
Listening and Gender: Stereotypes and Explanations Michael
academia.edu/1046565/Listening_and_Gender_Stereotypes_and_Explanations
Characteristics of good and poor listeners were collected. The most frequent characteristics of good listeners (top 30) and poor listeners (top 28) were randomized ...