Redefining Gender Roles
Family and friends gather around in a house filled with presents, confetti, and finger foods waiting eagerly to find out the sex of the expecting couple. One of the guests brings out the cake which will be dyed either blue or pink on the inside, and the couple jumps up and down excited to slice it open. That first cut is made and pink is revealed. The entire party smiles in delight at the thought of having a girl.
Baby shower games are just the beginning of gender stereotypes as girls are dressed in pink, and boys in blue. Many believe that a person’s gender is based on their sex, but I believe gender is actually reinforced by specific factors in that person’s life as they grow up. Children learn gender roles from a very young age. Family is the first factor in which one is exposed to, usually shaping the child through the types of clothes they wear, toys they play with, and by the language used with them. Once the child begins interacting with other children and going to school, peer groups and education become a factor as well. Then of course media will always be an influence on us whether it is magazines, television, or the radio. Children will adopt behaviors that are rewarded by praise and love and they will stop behaviors that are ridiculed, shamed, or punished.
But why is it that these stereotypes are mapped out for us from before we even come into this world? Why are boys shamed for wanting to wear pink or wanting to become teachers? Why are girls told they will never be engineers or scientists? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this topic lately because we sit in school everyday trying to figure out exactly what we want to do and be in the future. We are subconsciously guided by these thoughts and the way teachers and parents talk to us about future careers when we should be able to have a clear slate of options in our mind instead of only expected careers for our gender.
Recently I met with a group of high school girls who talked about all the stereotype threats they have to face each day when trying to be the person they want to be or the best versions of themselves. This could range between being defined as a “dumb blonde” to being made fun of for wanting to dress in baggier clothes instead of tight “girly” clothing. One girl explained how when she told her teacher she wanted to be a doctor he said, “Why not a nurse?” Instead of encouraging girls, people are telling them they can only go half the distance in the race to their dreams. Girls are going into math and science tests thinking they’re going to fail, just because society says “girls aren’t good at math.” The more these stereotypes circle our society the more children and teenagers feel their destiny is decided for them. They form themselves into the perfect model that fits with society so they can blend in a survive by going with the flow.
Although both genders have stereotypes and different struggles, it seems that women are still shown the less dominant of the two. We need to teach girls at a young age that they can achieve just as much and more than any guy can. We should be giving them an equal amount of “boys toys” as well, whether it be toy trucks, legos, or dinosaurs. They should know that they don’t always have to wear that pink dress, carry around a doll, or be a nurse rather than a doctor. Likewise with boys, we should be telling them it is okay to be anything they want to be, dress however they feel, and as a child use toys like dolls, or cooking games. Everyday people are facing stereotype threats that causes them to feel as if they need to conform to society’s ideals which makes people lose pieces of who they are.