Stereotypes: Why Women Are More Important Than Men

A scenario where the graph can be used would be in a situation where a man and woman are running

in a marathon. The members in the two person group are focused on the task, have never trained to run a

marathon, and do not know one another. The man is represented by the letter P and the female is O.

Gender is the diffuse status characteristic in this scenario. It is diffused because an individual’s gender

can not be compared. One gender does not hold more value than the other. In the graph model, T is the

general expectations, and it is associated with a positive value for men and negative for women. Higher

value is placed on the man because of the general belief that men are better at athletics and running. Men

are viewed as being more active and more competent at sports. There are lower expectations on the

woman because the female gender is not generally believed to be better at running.

It is generally

believed that men run faster than women, no matter what age they are. As children, the stereotype is that

boys would be outside running and engaging in physical activities, while girls would be indoors playing

calmly.