http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c_IH7v_w30&feature=related
Keep Safe Stay Cool defines Gender Roles and Stereotypes as attitudes about how females and males should act and think.
Most of us grow up assuming that gender roles and stereotypes are natural ways of being or behaving, so we generally don’t question them. From the day we are born we receive messages about male and female gender roles. We learn about them through a number of ways.
A good example of stereotyping gender roles is to think about how babies are colour coded, girls in pink and boys in blue for example. The kinds of toys that little girls receive give messages about feminine traits such as; dolls, dress ups and fairies. The kinds of toys that little boys receive give messages about masculinity for example; cars, trucks and building blocks.
Messages about gender roles and stereotypes can come from many sources. For example, the media, TV, magazines, war, books, marketing, sports, radio, fashion, commercial advertising, internet, fairytales and toys. Culture is a contributing factor towards giving rules about social norms and behaviour. Society is another factor, as society validates gender roles and stereotypes, encouraging us to “fit in” to the dominant culture.
Gender roles and stereotypes have a history steeped in tradition through religious, political, legal and economic systems. For example, it wasn’t until the war brought about a shortage in male workers that women were encouraged to step outside the traditional housewife role to work.
Gender roles and stereotypes can place restrictions on our human rights. If you think of a fundamental right such as the right to employment, or to earn money, the traditional stereotype of women as housewives has placed restrictions and expectations on what a woman is socially and economically capable of doing.
