People are naturally different from each other - they come in different colors of skin and hair, they belong to different nations and speak different languages, but the most striking and conspicuous differences are differences by sex - the traditional difference between men andwomen.These differences affect our lives and our understanding of the proper.But even sexual, biological differences are only the foundation of the others, formed culture and society framework, norms and standards.These standards - gender stereotypes - become steady view as generally accepted beliefs in how to behave and what should be a man and a woman.
Such representations exist in every society, but depending on the type of society, historical period or geographical area, established opinion about what the social role and purpose of the "real" men and women vary greatly.Conventional stable performance in any particular society about proper "female" and "male" behavior, their predestination, social roles and activities are determined by the socio-cultural environment and, accordingly, are subject to change.Although our differences may help, and prevent us from living, gender stereotypes often impede the development of the individual, because the form gender expectations, on which other people judge us and our behavior and dictate to us what we should and should not do to thismatch expectations.
Human culture has historically evolved in such a way that the differences between the sexes have played a greater role than individual differences.Moreover, in the public consciousness and psychology were fixed installation, where certain generic features and characteristics inherent in a particular part of men and women (not necessarily more) applies to all female or male.So formed gender stereotype that transports biological traits on the behavioral characteristics and social norms among men and women, and the relationships between them, and fixes these features as mandatory.For example, if gender differences dictate the forms of behavior that women can breastfeed or give birth, and a man can beget a child, these symptoms due to psychological stereotyping, transferred and social behavior.Most well-known philosophers of the ancient world claimed gender stereotypes, saying that the masculine - it is something proactive, active, logical, dominant, and female - passive, the passive, receiving, intuitive.
Such views led to the traditional perception of social roles of men as a brave, strong, aggressive, ambitious, intelligent, and women as emotional, weak, submissive, incapable of deep thought.This imbalance often issued for the natural balance of the sexes, in fact, gives rise to gender inequality.First of all, women were considered incapable of rational thinking, management and calculation, alien to science and order, as well as everything connected with self-control.Second, these beliefs justify the imbalance of power, which subordinates women to men, both in the family and in society.After all, they describe a woman as the submissive strong and active man and giving his love to him as a gift for patronage and at the same time as a creature who can neither manage the household, neither the state nor to dispose of the money.
Gender stereotypes are often used as an excuse for violence against women, as they form a distorted view of the psychology of the woman - that she supposedly likes her maltreated, beaten, humiliated and even raped.Even Sigmund Freud wrote that masochism - a sign of feminine essence.Stereotypes in this area generate serious social problems - they are the cause of discrimination of the fair sex, they are deprived of the dignity of women and make them get used to their roles humiliated, and as a consequence, suffer violence and do not fight for their rights.
