Why are gender stereotypes dangerous?

People naturally differ from each other - they have different skin and hair colors, they belong to different peoples and speak different languages, but the most striking and conspicuous differences are differences by gender - the traditional difference between men and women. These differences affect our life and our understanding of what is right. But even sexual, biological differences are just the foundation of other frameworks, norms and standards formed by culture and society. These standards - gender stereotypes - acquire a stable form as generally accepted beliefs in how to behave and what men and women should be like .

Such representations exist in every society, but depending on the type of society, historical period or geographic area, the established opinions about what the social role and purpose of "real" men and women are very much changing. The generally accepted sustainable views in a particular society about the proper "female" and "male" behavior, their purpose, social roles and activities are determined by the socio-cultural environment and, accordingly, are subject to change. Although our differences can both help and prevent us from living, gender stereotypes most often interfere with the development of the individual, because they form gender expectations, according to which other people judge us and our behavior and dictate to us what we should and should not do to this Expectations to match.

Human culture historically evolved in such a way that the differences between the sexes played a greater role than the differences are individual. Moreover, in the public consciousness and psychology established attitudes, when certain generalized features and characteristics inherent in a certain part of men and women (not necessarily greater) spread to the entire female or male gender. Thus, a gender stereotype is formed that transfers biological features to behavioral characteristics and social norms for men and women, as well as the relationships between them, and fixes these features as mandatory. For example, if gender differences dictate such behaviors that women can breastfeed or give birth, and men can conceive a child, then these signs, due to psychological stereotyping, are also transferred to social behavior. Most famous philosophers of the Ancient World asserted gender stereotypes, saying that the male principle is something initiative, active, logical, dominant, and female - passive, passive, accepting, intuitive.

Such perceptions determined the traditional perception of the social roles of men as bold, strong, aggressive, ambitious, reasonable, and women as emotional, weak, submissive, incapable of deep reflection. This imbalance, often given out for the natural balance of the sexes, actually generates gender inequality. First of all, women were considered incapable of rational thinking, management and calculation, alien to science and order, and everything connected with self-control. Secondly, these beliefs justify the imbalance of power that subordinates a woman to a man, both in the family and in society. After all, they describe a woman as submissive to a strong and active man and giving his love to him as a gift for protection, and at the same time as a being who can neither manage the household, nor the state, nor independently manage money.

Gender stereotypes are often used as a justification for violence against women, because they form a distorted view of the psychology of a woman - that she supposedly likes to be bullied, beaten, humiliated and even raped. Even Sigmund Freud wrote that masochism is a sign of a woman's essence. Stereotypes in this area generate serious social problems - they are the cause of discrimination of the fair sex, they deprive women of dignity and make them accustom to their humiliated role, and as a result, tolerate violence and not fight for their rights.