Time to break the mold of gender stereotypes.
Imagine a world where pink is not just for girls and blue isn’t just for boys.
These stereotypes start from an early age. Young girls were taught to like dresses and Barbies while young boys were taught to like mud and playing with big trucks.
“I’ve heard that girls are actually easier on equipment and machinery than guys are,” Corey Pettit, the industrial mechanics teacher at Lakeland High School (LHS), said.
Boys and girls at that age were also not supposed to wear clothes associated with the other gender.
Growing up, there were even stereotypes that girls were better at reading while boys are better at math.
Another stereotype that became more and more prominent with growing up was that girls are expected to not act out while boys have a tendency to be disruptive.
To this day that is still a common stereotype.
A big stereotype that is placed on genders is how girls are more likely to refrain from participating in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) projects. This makes jobs, within these fields, in the future more male dominated due to girls being taught from a young age to veer away from it.
According to the Society of Women Engineers, only 29.2 percent of the STEM field is made up of women.
However, equivalent to that, guys are pushed into pursuing sports instead of a more creative hobby because they will be viewed as not manly.
Looks also go into these stereotypes. Girls are expected to be thin and more conventionally attractive to seem more appealing to the male gaze. While guys are expected to be strong and built in order to seem like a suitable partner.
Another perspective of this is how guys should prove their manliness through aggression and violence. If they do not do this they can be an easy target for bullying from other guys as well as being seen as weak or less than.
Yet, girls are expected to be gentle and never rude because then they are seen as too rough or not lady-like.
“I can not stand that people say I am in a male field, it is not like I am suffering, I am equal with the guys,” Bella Aldrich said.
These stereotypes only get more severe the older we get.
For example, if a woman does not want children she is seen as hateful or that something is wrong with her when really there is nothing wrong with not wanting kids whether it is the guy or girl who decides this.
If women are assertive they are seen as bossy, controlling, and can even be called offensive names because of this.
Women are natural nurturers while men are natural leaders.
This can make some sense because women are given motherly instincts whether they have children or not and men are supposed to be the leaders of the household but, that does not always need to be the case.
It even goes to the extreme that women who appear less ladylike and more toward the masculine side can even be questioned on their sexuality.
Another extreme is how some believe that women do not need equal pay because they have a husband to support them. But that is so far off, like way out in left field, women deserve to get paid the same amount as anyone else that is doing the same amount of work, regardless of gender.
“We all have the same opportunities,” Frank Ferriola said.
With family dynamics many stereotypes come into play as well.
Women are expected to take time off to take care of the children when needed while men can continue to excel in their career. It is also said that women with children are less devoted to their jobs.
According to Pew Research Center 26 percent of women are stay at home parents compared to only 7 percent of men.
Men are expected to support and fund the household, like I mentioned prior. But, women do not need a man to be able to take the lead in her family.
“In relationships, responsibility should be shared equally. A healthy relationship is built on mutual effort, and it shouldn’t fall entirely on one person. When responsibilities are one-sided, it can be a sign of an unhealthy dynamic,” Colleen Bevacqua said.
Other than family dynamics different things are said about the emotions of each gender.
Men are expected to keep their emotions to themselves or else they are seen as weak. While women are seen as overly emotional to the point where some believe they cannot take on certain jobs, especially while being pregnant.
While men do not have the emotional capacity to take on some tasks so instead they hand them over to women because they are more equipped.
While there can be some truth found in stereotypes they can still be offensive and should be taken rather lightly.
No one should feel pressured to fit into a stereotype either because everyone is unique in their own way. Others should also not judge when someone does not fit into societal normalcy.
Stereotypes can often be inaccurate and rather viewed critically than accepted blindly.
