I’m pretty sure most individuals are familiar with these kid stereotypical statements: boys wear blue and girls wear pink, boys play with legos and girls play with dolls. These stereotypes are social norms that society thought were best to raise their children. As we age, these stereotypes have become more restricted in regards to what men and women are obligated to do in the future. 

There are stereotypical statements that say that women are responsible for caring for their kids, while men are the breadmakers and provide for the house. To me, I feel like these stereotypes that society has created toward females have caused them to feel like they are incapable of succeeding in society. These statements act as a veil that permits women from pursuing better expectations for themselves in the workplace.

In my family, I have four sisters. My dad usually relies on us to help him with any needs. One day, my dad was building new stairs and we were helping him cut some wood and carry out heavy loads. Then two men from my neighborhood approached my dad, saying (in the most friendly way possible) that building stairs were “men's work.” This experience made me feel very upset that these men think that my sisters and I aren’t capable of helping our dad with construction work.

Because society has formed specific stereotypes toward women, the two men from my neighborhood have created a bias that females shouldn’t be involved in activities that require strength and hard work. Aisha Khan wrote the article “Professional Women And Stereotypes: Moving Past Them” in which she claims that when women have talent, “and are actually told they are high-achievers in these subjects—women are more likely than men to shrug off the praise and lowball their own abilities.” When women have the opportunity to finally showcase their talent in the workplace, they start feeling self-conscious about themselves and ultimately decline their perfect opportunity to obtain their desired job position.

Women don’t picture themselves taking a step out of societal stereotypes. And one of the main reasons that have resulted in women being self-conscious, is through social media. On Twitter, you see men of high authority, such as presidents, lawyers, and doctors, tweeting about worldwide conflicts. However, we see fewer women in power presenting themselves on public platforms. 

What we mostly see of women are Instagram posts of stay-home moms, women decorating their houses, or women cooking/baking for family gatherings. Since there isn’t much of an influence on females who have succeeded in the workplace on social media, it prevents more women from taking a leap forward to become better versions of themselves.

Speaking of stay-home moms on social media, we acknowledge their role in providing care, when raising their children, which we must give props to. However, there are some individuals in society that only view women as a caregiver, not someone who is capable of being an engineer. The Gender Equality Law Center is a business that wrote the article “Examples of Gender Stereotypes,” which identifies that “women with children are less devoted to their jobs.” Even if society may create biases against women based on their situation of being a mother, women are more than capable of being devoted to their jobs as well as being a mom.

In order for women to have the confidence and the motivation to have better success in the workplace, we need to stop going by the rules of stereotypes. A possible solution for this could be, how parents raise their children. Instead of teaching children what is meant for boys and what is meant for girls, we should introduce to them that it's normal for little girls to play with toy trucks, and for little boys to wear pink.  

Another reason could be that women in positions of power should recognize themselves more on social media, in order for future generations to recognize how successful women are. This will help to normalize the idea that women can take on more jobs that are said to be masculine.

Works Consulted

Gender Equality Law Center. “Examples of Gender Stereotypes | gender-equality-law.” Gender Equality Law Center, 2015, genderequalitylaw.org/examples-of-gender-stereotypes. Accessed 12 May 2022.

Khan, Aisha. “Professional Women And Stereotypes: Moving Past Them.” The Decision Lab, thedecisionlab.com/insights/business/professional-women-and-stereotypes-moving-past-them. Accessed 15 May 2022.