Sex-Role Stereotypes - Assignment Example

Sex-Role Stereotypes Sex stereotype is something that has continued to exist in the minds of people for a long period. Despite the technological advancements that have occurred and the increase of knowledge and information on the capabilities of every individual with appropriate support, majority of people in the society still harbor the idea that men are preferred in certain jobs to women. Several research findings have shown that in both working stations and among the general public there is a lingering feeling of both men and women that some jobs are meant for men. Women are often associated with jobs that call for the portrayal of affection and empathy in their duties unlike in the cases of men. The society has defined peoples' abilities to an extent that it sometimes becomes hard for both men and men to cross sides and take jobs that they are not associated with. This can be seen from an individual perception of who a typical man and the typical woman should look like. Majority of people in the society believes that a woman person should be able to have more love for children. In occupational stereotypes, women are best seen as mothers or as housewives; this is defined in the kinds of adjectives that are chosen by the respondents in the interview. In this interview, women are described as people who are supposed to take care of others emotional orientations. The society still does not recognize them as people with the ability to take greater responsible roles in their workplaces. Closely attached to the finding is the fact that, when it comes to describing the traits necessary for one to handle professions, none of the feminine traits is ranked at the managerial position. In the position of professorship, none of the feminine traits was chosen by the respondents. This indicates that despite the successes that women have made in their professional career, the overall society still do not understand the equality that exists between women and men and does not believe that women are equally able in their way (Macklin, 2004). Only the masculine traits are attached to higher professional positions such as management. The as such feminine traits are only found in the other professions such as nursing and secretaries. Society view men like they need to be assertive, dominant as well risk takers in their duties traits that allow them to be fit for positions such as management and professorship. The community portrays women as people who play second fiddle in the decision-making process in a society. This revelation presents a serious scenario for a prospective female student who expects to get employed in the near future. It behooves one to be able to define a cutting edge in their careers in order to attract employment to higher positions. Such a student must employ a greater amount of dedication in her studies in during her schooling time and achieve high levels of performances in order to be able to convince the society. For a female who is looking forward to being employed, she must comprehend that life in school and at the workplace will remain a battle that must be fought and won. In order to achieve the societies' change of feminine perception on their abilities, the battle must be diligently fought through achievements in both academic and professional realms (Macklin, 2004). The study finding on the society's perception of a typical man and atypical woman in terms of character continues to baffle. It portrays women as people who are not expected of any agility or aggression as though these are perceived as a preserve of man. All the participants linked the women to their character traits presented to them in the study. The trait of a woman being able to love children emerged with the highest frequency of three out of ten. This is an indication that the society still believes that child care is still a preserve of the women and as such they should possess a lot of love for them. While those of warm and compassionate traits rated second simultaneously. What can shock when this is analyzed that, none of the professional traits emerged any better? This indicates that the societal perception of women is still embedded in the belief that its men who can the affairs when it comes to professionalism while women are seen as people who should get concerned with the welfare of the people at home (Macklin, 2004). The analysis of the findings in the study of the traits of men has shown a different perception of the society about men. Men are being viewed as people who are in possession of leadership ability rating at the highest frequency of three out of ten. They are seen as people who are willing to take risks, aggressive, assertive and defenders of their belief. A typical man is seen as a societal preference for handling matters universal to the society. The society perceives a typical man as one who is not risk averse and is capable .of breaking ground in the determination of new territories that can help the society (Masse, 2008). Man is associated with a high mortality standard with the ability to take leadership roles both in the society and in their occupations. Men are associated with managerial positions as well as proffer ship. As a male student with prospects of getting employed in the future, this presents one with a challenge of matching the higher expectations that .is bestowed upon them. It calls upon such a student to put tremendous efforts in his study work in order to achieve the expected academic qualifications and in turn be able to achieve the professional goals. In the ideal traits one should acquire as a typical man in the workplace, majority of the society sees a man as one who should stand even against the tides and cause change in a way that majority did not perceive (Masse, 2008). In conclusion, it is still evident that the sex-role stereotyping in the society is something that still entrenched. As such it still calls for a lot of education and awareness creation on the people so that they understand that every person whether female or male have equal potential of performance when presented with adequate support and time. References Macklin, M.C., & Kolbe, R.H. (2004). Sex-role stereotypes in children’s advertising: Current and past trends. Journal of Advertising, 13(2), 34-42. Masse., M.A., & Rosenblum, K. (2008). Male and female created they them: The depiction of gender in advertising of traditional women’s and men’s magazines. Women’s Studies International Forum, 11(2), 127-144. Appendix: Summary Table Respondents Adjectives Typical Man Typical Woman Job Groups Ideal Person in the job groups 1 Defends own beliefs 1, 1,1 Manager Defends own beliefs, Assertive, Strong Personality, Leadership abilities, willing to take risks 2 Independent 1,1 Secretary Affectionate, Gentle, 3 Affectionate 1,1 Nurse Sympathetic, Understanding, compassionate, Warm, Tender 4 Assertive 1, Professor Aggressive, Willing to take stand, Assertive, Understanding 5 Strong Personality 11, 1 6 Forceful 7 Sympathetic 1,1 8 Has leadership abilities 1,1 9 Sensitive to the needs of others 1,1,1 10 Willing to take risks 1,1, The table shows the frequencies of respondents on their views on the traits a typical man and woman should have. It also expresses the respondents’ views on the traits necessary for certain professions. Read More