Are Women Held Back By Stereotypes

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Are women still being held back by stereotypes? A critical analysis of advocacy, policy and practice regarding gender equality in western societies.

This essay will discuss critically discuss whether women are still being held back by stereotypes in achieving gender equality in western societies considering the relationship between advocacy (encouragement of social change/social movements) policy (a course or principle of action adopted or proposed/legislative measures) and practice (application or use of action/ existing trends). The relationship between these three elements will be discussed in regard to western societies’ social organisations with a focus on division of labour and leadership. Western countries have made notable progress …show more content…

Research on gender stereotypes show that women are perceived being more communal (caring, dependant) whereas men are more agentic (independent, ambitious), in addition, Trier-Bieniek and Leavy (2014) warn of the danger of gender stereotypes as they become overgeneralised and oversimplified, offering normative representations. Because gender stereotypes define desirable traits, behaviours, and roles for men and women, they serve as a class of beliefs that contain both descriptive and prescriptive elements for who they ‘should be’ as well as ‘should not be’ (Prentice and Carranza, 2002). Rudman (1998) argued that gender counter-stereotypical behaviour may result in social and economic punishments, colloquially known as backlash, and since women are considered to be less competent, less ambitious and dependant figures, they may be disregarded for leadership positions unless they present themselves as atypical women; being held back by stereotypes can be considered one of the forms backlash takes, as a barrier to gender …show more content…

While gender justice and women's rights may be ‘on the agenda’ in civil society platforms and policies, practitioners and campaigners trying to attain real-world change on the ground, still experience strong resistance within the ‘deep structure’ of arrangements and affiliated associations (Rao, & Kelleher, 2005). Rao and Kelleher define the ‘deep structure’ as taken-for-granted assumptions about a woman’s place in society; these assumption levels are below awareness level, but still shape how people think and act, therefore influence their

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