Gender Sensitivity, a Key to Progress and Prosperity?

Stereotypes: an overgeneralized belief about a particular group/class of people. Today a lot of us dislike them, but we cannot live without them. We’re surrounded by stereotypes that continue to make life difficult for many. Inaccurate reflections of reality, they’re far from specific, as they ignore individual differences, leading to false assumptions.

Presently, gender neutrality is gaining increasing importance as gender roles are reevaluated to determine how far they’ve really benefited society at large. Any learned behaviour that conditions us to perceive activities, tasks, or responsibilities as belonging to male/ female, including professions forms our understanding of gender roles. A child realises the concepts of self, identity, and gender once influenced by their surroundings and acts accordingly. It includes what’s expected of us, allowed to us, and valued in us, in the context of gender and not individual outlook.

Gender ideologies that determine social perceptions are mostly learnt. Where do we pick them up? In families, observational learning acts as the base upon which later behaviour stands, as individuals have watched them in their initial years. The exposure to gendered objects like toys, clothes, and colours being segregated to symbolise maleness or femaleness becomes another factor. Rules and regulations, too, are rarely gender-neutral. The lack of clearly defined roles predisposes children to inequality in such households. Add to that the encouragement towards gendered activities ranging from domestic chores to the choice of leisure activities.

In schools, the sports, and extra-curricular preferences, in terms of their participation rates are influenced by such considerations. Disciplinary practices also take them into account. The teachers’ attitudes and perceptions can sometimes be influenced by the same, not to mention the choice of subjects opted for by a student, which goes on to further illustrate a kind of gender disparity. Among peers, the definition of ‘normal’ dictates certain actions along with the pressure to fit in, compromising one’s individuality. The notions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ become central to identity formation.

At the community level, social conventions are guided by concerns gendered in nature. For instance, female safety is attributed to causes with a focus on impeding their movement, their choices, and a lot more. The goal should be to make safety accessible to all, no matter their age, gender, or any such walls that create divides. Language can get gendered too when stereotypes manifest themselves in a conveniently fluid sense of right and wrong. When a particular gender says something, it may be treated fine but the same argument when put forward by a different gender, somehow, it’s no longer okay. It makes us wonder how egalitarian this worldview is.

How can we forget the role of the media? When the lyrics of a song objectify either men or women, the human component goes away. That is an element that mocks, harasses, or teases humanity. If only they weren’t shared or followed, they’d speak so loud, wouldn’t they? The unrealistic expectations of oneself and others are pretty evident, as one’s physique or looks are given more attention than they deserve. The construction of myths and false perceptions is designed to feed into a narrative that continues to date. The definition of attractiveness and popularity is an extension of it, be it the standards of beauty, machismo, and so on. The influence of role models, when not consciously questioned, could lead us to make insensitive use of language or not take a stand against what’s wrong. Here too, the depiction of traditional gender roles lacks facts and propagates biases.

By not treating someone as a person but as part of a herd, this contributes to low self-esteem. Self-stereotyping begins, wherein individualism goes down, believing in what has been told to them. Self-fulfilling prophecy shows up since having a school of thought ingrained leads them to act according to it. Statements like ‘This is not for you,’ severely hinder future decisions /aspirations. The dissatisfaction and distraction reveal itself through avoidance of situations. At the relationship level, communication barriers, lack of understanding, and uncertainty in interpreting others’ behaviours affect both parties—at the giving end and the receiving end. At the societal level, inequality, discrimination, lack of diversity, increased crime, need for conformity, aggression, and vulnerability are obvious outcomes.
Breaking stereotypes that describe men as more possessive, girls as fonder of shopping, women as better at looking after children, boys as people who don’t cry, men as better pilots, colours like blue and pink being more preferred by a certain gender each; need to be assessed objectively to ascertain how true or false they really are.

The way forward is through empathy when we imagine ourselves in others’ shoes, being open to their views and differences to gain perspective regarding our values. Questioning assumptions and beliefs, makes us refrain from generalizing, watching our thoughts as we act as filters, and censoring what’s inappropriate. To break out of stereotypes, it’s necessary to not be defined by them, stay open to exploring personal interests, and focus on our own goals and priorities. Boundaries are the personal space built on beliefs, attitudes, experiences, and learnings. The idea differs for people but mutual respect is the need of the hour.

While taking a step back, lack of eye contact, turning red, changing the subject, short/clipped answers and long hesitations indicate discomfort; leaning in, consistent eye contact, nodding, easy manner, extensive answers, and conversational flow indicate comfort. Crossing boundaries either visually through a gaze/look or auditorily through words or physically, they’re all offensive. There’s no humour whatsoever. Truth be told, it’s never the victims’ fault. They should retaliate, report such events whenever possible or at least, ignore them. The victimizers here feel powerful/dominant which reflects an unhealthy mindset and that they need help. Bystanders should make their voices count either by intervening or disapproving of such instances. Otherwise, it’d be read as acceptance, wouldn’t it?

Since gender stereotypes impact everyone, it is upon each of us to go beyond these and show ourselves the respect we deserve. After all, a gender-neutral world needs consistent work, doesn’t it?