Stereotypes are unnoticeable

“The emotional, sexual and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says ‘It’s a girl’.” ⁓ Shirley Chisholm

So do male ones. Stereotypes are transmitted culturally from generation to generation. They can vary from a culture to another, with different ways to manifest, but there’s something that doesn’t vary: gender inequality.

Stereotypes begin when we born

Even if we, as babies, can not decide how we want to dress or the toys we want to play with, our environment is already educating us about how the society expects us to be. Stereotypes begin when we are born: if he is a boy, he is given blue (or “masculine” colours) clothes and “boy” toys; if she is a girl, she is dressed up with pink skirts and given dolls. That happens when we don’t have the capacity to decide upon ourselves, and, unconsciously, we are already being educated by the society and teaching us how we “must” be.

Stereotypes here are also in our way of thinking. For example, if a baby boy moves his legs a lot, some people might think “he’s going to be a good soccer player!” and start introducing them ideas. Or, if it is a girl who moves a lot her legs, they would say “she’s going to be a great dancer”; when this action is the exact same, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl.

The whole environment contributes to stereotypes

The culture and environment in which we live influence everyone. Throughout our lives, we are positioned depending on who we are and our gender. At first, all kids play the same games, but as they grow, they start separating: boys tend to do more active games, such as sports, while girls tend to do more passive tasks, such as cooking and taking care of dolls. Even if they are not interested in that, they feel like they need to fit into society. Furthermore, girls are treated differently by teachers, even if teachers don’t notice it themselves. Girls are often treated as if they were more delicate and they are asked for less than boys, which are treated as if they needed to be more confident and stronger; all unconsciously. Of course, all these ideas solidify as we grow, and have a very strong influence on our future, including jobs, ideas, and the education we give to our future children.

An interview with some young children showed that most girls wanted to be teachers, doctors or nurses, some wanted to study science; while most boys answered they wanted to be police officers, engineers, astronauts. Then the kids were asked about what if they were the opposite gender. Most of them changed their opinion, some others thought that being a boy or girl doesn’t matter, and they could be whatever they wanted. This shows how the stereotypes are built at a young age that then settle down as they grow up.

Stereotypes are unnoticeable

We do not notice stereotypes, but they exist. We all have stereotypes in our heads, even though we do not want to have them. Our society has already marked us with its footprint, and we have those ideas settled down. Of course we can beat them, we cannot fight against them, but it is and it will always be very difficult to erase. They will always be there. However, some cultures and countries see it differently. In some countries, inequality is more obvious than in others. In some cultures, women have forced and early marriage and are obliged to leave their studies (if it is the case that they have) and take care of their children at a young age. In others, women are still mutilated because of their beliefs.

In conclusion, inequality is still a big problem that, in big part, comes from stereotypes and expectations. These visions of genders lead to bigger and more visible issues, such as male-dominated industries and male-led development. We need to empower everyone to free themselves from expectations and feel free to do whatever they want to. We need also to shift important women that made a big difference in History and make them visible. Boost current role models too to encourage young girls to study, work, or do whatever they want, regardless of others’ ideals. We all are responsible and can contribute to this change.