Gender Roles and Stereotypes in Today's Culture

Gender stereotypes are messing with adolescents' and teens' brains. It's not just a movie, and it's not only TV shows, but it is also constant exposure to the same dated theories in the media over and over, starting before preschool and lasting a lifetime. In the western population, children as young as seven believe that they are valued more for their appearances than for their achievements or quality. For example, some concepts suggest that boys are smarter than girls, that certain jobs are most salutary for men and others for women; and even that girls are responsible for their sexual assaults. Gender stereotypes, such as physical appearance, gender role, and cultural stereotypes, can cause depression among teens and young adults. To avoid gender discrimination, society should value each gender equally. Society should take off these labels, the labels that males are the best feat for a particular job, and females are not. To avoid discrimination, society should stop separating young girls, and little boys into classes at a young age. 

In our society, we are the ones who create gender stereotypes; kids are not born with this problem; they learn it from those around them, and they start to separate themselves from each other base on their sex as soon as society has corrupted them. We isolate gender as soon as a baby is born; a baby boy in the hospital will wear blue, and his bed will be all blue, while a baby girl will wear pink, and pink is all around her. As these kids start to have a sense of understanding, society teaches their parents to teach them about the toys and games boys and girls are not allowed to play with, while society, on the other hand, teaches them about their strengths. For example, some people say that 'boys are stronger than girls and make the boys feel like they are in charge of the world, while the girls sit in the corner, thinking they'll never be as strong as a boy because weakness is in their genes. Stephanie Hanes, a freelance journalist, mentioned, 'It is not only the media that is affecting the genders, but it is also the marketing products'. Marketers use things that attract girls or boys. Gender-biased advertising supports discrimination based on age, ethnicity, ability, and sexual orientation. 

Gender stereotypes act as a stop sign for girls to access education. For instance, stereotypes about the role of women in the domestic and family circle underpin all restrictions to girls' equal access to education. Girls are often socialized to believe in their domestic and care responsibilities with the assumption that they will be economically reliant on their husbands. The stereotypes of males as breadwinners lead to the prioritization of men's education. Stereotypes often prescribe different expectations for boys and girls, such as the fulfillment of education and fields of study to pursue. Stereotypes are also continued in school curricula and materials, which often leads to occupational gender discrimination, with women less likely to study and pursue careers that are highly valued in professional and traditionally male-dominated fields, such as science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Gender does not define anyone's future because girls can be as smart as boys or even smarter than them. Society should not categorize people based on their gender, but on the quality of their intelligence and skills.

People in society have given genders their role in society. A real man is often shown as fearless, fierce, decisive, and active, while a woman must be a wife, someone's daughter, someone's girlfriend all her life. Society is controlling both men and women like a robot; they have to act based on the instructions given. In society, a woman who stands up for herself is no longer a woman; it is said that she becomes a battle-ax if not, she's a fantasy figure, a product of man's imagination. Those negative stereotypes hinder people's ability to fulfill their potential by limiting choices and opportunities. The effect of this on the mental and physical integrity of women is to deny them equal knowledge, exercise, and possession of rights and fundamental freedoms. Both genders should have their own decision based on what they believe is right for them, and not be forced to adapt to the way society manages people.

People often argue that most Western cultures have achieved gender equality; women have all the same legal rights as men, and workplace discrimination based on gender is prohibited. Despite this, feminists proceed to argue that the contest for gender equality is not yet won. Society has induced men to focus on being in charge, act decisively, contain emotion, and succeed with women. Women are depressed; people tend to put women in a category where they seem inferior. People should judge women based on their intelligence, not their gender.

While gender roles and stereotypes may seem natural and almost nonexistent in today's culture, they are still present and cause a significant effect on the current and future generations. Society establishes limits on personality and mental health awareness. People try to force males and females into particular job categories and discriminate against those who do not comply. Gender roles have massively affected women today in western culture; the gender roles that existed many years prior have damaged the culture of today. 

To conclude, both men and women should have the right to live in the way that they feel is right for them, but not the way society wants them to, which can affect their lives both physically and mentally.