Yashasvi SuroliyaContributing Author, Rightantra Ameesha TripathiEditor In-Chief, Rightantra A psychological study reported that by the age of two, most children are conscious of the relevance of their gender and by the time they are four, they develop a clear sense of what is expected of boys and girls and how they are supposed to behave. Astonishingly, by the time they are six years old children associate intelligence with being male and niceness with being female. This probably is because growing up, children are surrounded by gender stereotypes, right from when they exit the womb and the colour of the cloth they would be first draped in is determined on the basis of their gender. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (“OHCHR”), gender stereotyping is defined as “overgeneralization of characteristics, differences and attributes of a certain group based on their gender”. Basically, gender stereotyping creates beliefs and biases as to how men and women should present themselves. Most of these standards are highly normalised. For example, men are supposed to be strong and tough, while women are expected to be delicate and nurturing. We live in a world that has laid down norms for us to abide by, based on the assumption that there exist only two gender identities. Societal norms have led us to believe that the gender binary of masculine and feminine are default, preferring alignment of biological sex, and gender identity. For example, if an individual is assigned male at birth, it is assumed that they identify as a man. However, it has been established that gender is a fluid concept--it is not necessary for an individual to identify with the gender they have been biologically assigned at birth. Gender identity refers to the “a person’s deeply‐felt, inherent sense of being a boy, a man, or male; a girl, a woman, or female; or an alternative gender”. The term genderqueer has been popularized of late, referring to a person who falls outside the binary spectrum of male and female. This means that for children around the world, the binary matrix of institutions and discourse only limits their opportunities to explore themselves. One of the ways through which this culture is imposed on young children is through gender stereotyping. The assertion of these identities shockingly begins at a very young age, in schools as well as at home. Stereotyping slowly sets in everywhere, from the theme of bedtime stories to the choice of toys to gift. These norms carry themselves to school as well, where education practitioners with existing biases play a significant part in enforcing gender roles. Examples range from separating queues on the basis of gender and rewarding only ‘appropriate behaviour’ like discouraging little boys from playing dress-up. Studies also report that in most pre-schools, boys are given more attention than girls, who are expected to already be intelligent and understanding, which sadly also happens at home, where the abilities of girls are often underestimated and that of boys is overestimated, by their families. Evidently, gender stereotyping is omnipresent in children’s lives from their wardrobes to their classrooms, from their playgrounds to their textbooks. Therefore, it is clear that gender stereotypes are deeply ingrained in children’s lives which furthers the struggles of fitting in society’s rigid expectations. Most of all, gender stereotyping affects individuals who do not act like how society expects them to, which could be for a multitude of reasons like feeling a disconnect from their assigned gender or not wanting to identify with one at all. Children who don’t conform to gender stereotypes face discrimination from not only their own peers but also adults in their life. Gender stereotyping also results in the most basic form of sexism where arguably, we teach our children to discriminate on the basis of gender and that men and women are not equal. It also limits young people from developing attributes and skills which should not have anything to do with their gender, like being caring or athletic. Gendered choices which might appear insignificant at first, impact children severely like restricting opportunities and causing irreparable damage to their self-esteem. Gender stereotyping is perhaps at the grassroots of issues like toxic masculinity and rampant violence against women. While it is clear that gender stereotypes such as the ones listed above are learned behaviour, it is relevant to understand the enforcement of these ideas via media in the form of movies, books and others. Interlocked in a vicious battle, both media and historical constructs have imposed set pigeon holes for society to fall into- and deviation is met with cruel criticism. Characteristics and traits have been segregated according to gender- men are expected to be assertive, bold, dominant and ambitious, while women are supposed to be helpful, kind, gentle and empathetic. When a person exhibits traits which are commonly associated with the opposite gender, it is usually met with backlash. Additionally, these traits are frequently exhibited on screen in movies and shows, in order to ensure the enforcement of fixed gender stereotypes. For example, in the popular TV show Friends, Monica Geller’s competitiveness is showcased as mean, or sometimes “crazy” behaviour. This is because ‘competitiveness’ remains a particularly male positive behaviour. In fact, popular singer Taylor Swift commented on this peculiar aspect in an interview with CBS, “There is a different vocabulary for men and women in the music industry. A man does something, it is strategic; a woman does the same thing, it is calculated.” Television remains the primary source of entertainment for children, and given its popularity, it is extremely imperative to ensure that regressive gender stereotypes are not perpetrated through children’s shows. For example, it is common to see females underperform in STEM fields, or alternatively, see STEM fields dominated by male characters. Children grow up with characters such as Spiderman, Hulk and Iron Man, who are geniuses in their fields and superheroes as well. Let there be internet! In an unsurprising turn of events, the internet has been particularly progressive in terms of gender roles. In India, major companies have launched extremely thought provoking advertisements, and challenged rigid societal norms regarding gender in a beautiful manner. For example, Ariel, a detergent brand, released an advertisement revolving around a father who realizes how he has never shared household responsibilities when he sees his daughter struggle to manage it all. Similarly, Titan’s advertisement hinted at the way women’s achievements are chalked up to their attractiveness and gender, by mentioning a certain “Kiran” (a gender neutral name), and then revealing it to be in fact a man. It is worth mentioning, that these advertisements are a deviation from standard product marketing, as they do not particularly aim at the product- in fact, it is a tad bit difficult to even understand what product the advertisement is for! Internationally too, advertisements have been exploring the realm of marketing with a purpose- like Always, a sanitary napkin producer gained popularity on the web with its #LikeAGirl Campaign which asked children to explain how they believed girls run, talk, or kick a ball and highlighted the stereotypes that are imbibed in young children. Given the effects such behaviour may have on children, it is our duty to raise children in an environment where they are not limited by certain backward ideologies of gender. It is necessary for them to make their own path, and make choices of their own free will.
1 Comment
Ruchi
12/22/2020 01:11:24 am
As a parent.. it’s definitely my duty not to consciously propagate any gender biases... I guess the message needs to be hammered continuously and gently.
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