WSN 51 (2016) 47-51 EISSN 2392-2192
Stereotypes as a source of gender inequality
Agata Kraińska
Faculty of Economics and Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 13a Gagarina Str., 87-100 Toruń, Poland
E-mail address: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The roles of women and men in society are often dependent on gender. The rules of social life are shaped culture, religion, or stereotypes. Clearly noticed the impact of stereotypes on the perception of women and men in society. Schematic perception of men and women is accompanied by mankind ever since. Unfortunately, they have a significant negative impact on the perception of women in society and in the workplace. Women are perceived as being weak, fragile, who can not make important and sometimes risky decisions. Such perception of women means that they have limited access to managerial positions.
Keywords: stereotype; sex; society; roles; women's competitions; competitions for men
1. INTRODUCTION
The roles of women and men in society are often dependent on gender. The rules of social life are shaped culture, religion, or stereotypes. In this study will be presented stereotypes, as a source of discrimination against women, both in society and professional life. At the beginning it will be explained the concept of stereotype and, later, what is the division of roles performed by men and women. The main objective of the study is to show that the perception of gender stereotypes have a significant impact on the division of responsibilities in a society based on gender.
2. CONCEPT STEREOTYPES
The concept of stereotype comes from the Greek language and is a combination of the words: stereos, or solid, hard and typos - pattern. In the eighteenth century, the term was used to name the printing plates and their casts [5]. This term was introduced to the social sciences by Walter Lippmann in 1922. According to W. Lippman "stereotype" is "images in people's heads," or conviction of human thought that have some clichés and simplistic views on certain groups or social events [1,8]. This traditional approach was confirmed by Gordon Allport [2].
Adam Schaff stereotype is understood as a court, which negatively or positively evaluates the accompanying conviction. This court is characterized by, among other things that the object is a group of people, such as race, class, professional, or group sex. Genesis is a social stereotype, which is sent to individuals as public opinion on the basis of acquired traits in the family and in the environment in which the unit is located, no matter how personal experience to have. A characteristic feature of the concept is also that it is related to emotions, both positive and negative. It is not based on experience and does not change a particular emotional charge because it is long-lasting and resistant to any change [5].
The birth of the stereotype we say at the moment when a certain group of people is seen as a whole, and probably different from other groups. Listed groups can be in their mutual relations, eg. Women - men or Poles - Americans. However, the combination group of people in one group does not create yet fully developed stereotype, because the stereotype is formed only when the observer together the expertise and create a set of beliefs about a particular group. This creates the possibility of making the general characteristics of this group [3].
According to the Encyclopedia popular PWN "stereotype" is a "simplified schematic depiction of individuals, groups, social relations on the basis of incomplete or false knowledge about the world, but by tradition persisted and difficult to change". However, in the Dictionary of the Polish language "stereotype" is "functioning in the public consciousness shortened, simplified and colored evaluative picture of reality referring to things, persons, groups, institutions, etc., Often based on incomplete or false knowledge about the world, recorded, however, by tradition and a non-change" [6]. Today, many stereotypes are transmitted by the mass media - television, newspapers, the Internet, or leaflets. In this way, social stereotypes spread very quickly, because they can reach everyone without having intercourse with another man [3].
Stereotypes are accompanied by emotional reactions. For example - when the mind of the person will show the name or image disliked group, immediately, unwittingly starts a negative reaction. In this way, seeing a person identifies with the team assign its features consistent with our representation, in order to confirm that the person actually has negative characteristics. Thus our behavior towards that person becomes biased, which is usually unconscious [3].
In a society noticeable is a schematic approach to the world around us. Many of the features in advance is attributed to certain groups. We can observe in the immediate vicinity, that the roles are divided among other things, depending on gender. In the literature, the former easily find the belief that a woman is the weaker sex, and should be dependent on a man [8].
At the turn of the history of the situation of women has significantly improved. They obtained the right and become independent. After all, some grated perception of gender in
society is still visible. To this day, the majority believes that a man should work to keep your home and family, and a woman to deal with the upbringing of children [14].
3. DIVISION OF ROLES BY GENDER
Both the woman and the man in your life fully defined roles, which are expected by society. In the traditional division of roles a woman is a housewife. Her responsibilities are preparing meals for the household, taking care of the order, the care and upbringing of children. Whereas the role of the man is a professional work, to provide the material basis of family living and participation in society. Man, unlike women she works mostly away from home. On the other hand, according to assigned roles, workplace women is discontinuous and unregulated, sometimes work at home [6].
Magdalena Sokołowska in his book A woman working writes that "tradition burdened the woman responsible for the house. Responsibility for the house - a complex responsibility.
The concept of >>home<< includes both family and related family life work" [7,15,17].
The tasks performed by a woman in the house, that is, the organization of family life, a task aggravating time, health and psyche. However, the nomenclature is not yet defined a name that would mean the occupation housewife. Therefore, a large part of society downplays the role of women in the home. Such determination is erroneous, because the woman running the house prepares meals for the household, and above all, takes care of children, take care of order and cleanliness home, clothing, as well as purchases of food products and leading household bills [11,16].
Conservative roles - woman at home, a man at work - called "natural" because it is assumed that the man because of greater strength and willingness to fight is better suited for the job market. In turn, the woman assigned a characteristic related of protectiveness, tenderness, warmth, and thus the "natural" place to work for it is the house [6,14-17].
In the traditional family, "head of the house" is the father or husband. This dominant position is the result of the function "main breadwinner," or person providing family life. The man as "head of the house" was supposed to represent the interests of a family in the community to other families, government agencies or public institutions. In return, he was released from the household chores, which include the daily operation of the household.
Housework is the responsibility of a wife, a mother, the so-called "lady of the house" [6].
The traditional division of roles in the home is also associated with the division of tasks.
For the work performed most often by women include: ironing, feeding small children, washing, mending clothes, cooking meals, washing windows, daily maid service, scrolling infants, preparing other meals, visits with children to the doctor. In contrast, the typical male activities at home include: removal of minor faults, minor home repair, refurbishing housing, the so-called technical occupations typical [9,12].
Works unions also can be divided into "feminine" and "masculine." According to the generally prevailing opinion, more women than men are suitable for tenure positions at work, requiring more patience, accuracy and precision and efficient and coordinated movements. It is also considered that a woman has the greater sensitivity of the senses such as touch, smell, hearing. They are better able to recognize the shades of colors and have a better coordination of fine movements [10,13-20].
4. CONCLUSIONS
According to the underlying analysis of the literature clearly noticed the impact of stereotypes on the perception of women and men in society. Schematic perception of men and women is accompanied by mankind ever since. Unfortunately, they have a significant negative impact on the perception of women in society and in the workplace. Women are perceived as being weak, fragile, who can not make important and sometimes risky decisions.
Such perception of women means that they have limited access to managerial positions.
According to the inherited rules of social life it is the task of the women doing housework and raising children, and not professional careers.
It is worth looking at this phenomenon closely, as access to education, the development of feminist causes changes in the perception of the role of women. Political programs also imply a lack of discrimination, which may cause the stereotypes adopted by successive generations may change or disappear.
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( Received 20 June 2016; accepted 10 July 2016 )
