Avoiding Gender Stereotypes

Whether you realize it or not there are a lot of gender stereotypes in our society. Gender stereotype is an oversimplified conception about the social roles of male and female elements. Our society is built in such a way that even if we don’t want create gender stereotypes, the phenomenon occurs unknowingly.

For instance, in our society a man is supposed to be macho, tough, stronger than women and sexually aggressive. He is not supposed to cry and is rowdy. And a woman on the other hand, is supposed to be polite, soft, gentle, pretty, smarter than men and men dependant. She can cry all the time and should always be well dressed up.

Gender stereotype, though not harmful may convey some negative message to your child. So if you don’t want your child to be caught up in gender stereotypes, you should carry out certain steps for avoiding gender stereotypes.

Researches have shown that parents can play an important role in helping their children come out of gender stereotypes. They can even help their child in finding out some healthy ways to cope with gender stereotypes.

Given below are some tips that may help you in avoiding gender stereotypes.

• First of all avoid passing stereotypical statements. That is you should be very careful while talking about child’s gender. A statement like "Boys shouldn’t cry" or "A girl is not supposed to act like this" may result in unhealthy gender stereotypes.


• Let your child play with the things he likes to. If a boy wants to play with dolls let him play with them. If a girl wants to play toy cars or trucks let her play. Don’t make comments like "Boys shouldn’t play with dolls" or "Girls shouldn’t play with trucks".


• Help your child in doing the things he/she wants to do. Don’t worry about what the other people think. If your daughter wants to join karate classes or participate in sports encourage her in doing so. If your son wants to join dance class don’t stop him worrying what others will think.


• Let your child dress up in a way he/she wants. Don’t pass comments like "Girls should always be well dressed" or "Girls should not make their clothes dirty". Let your child wear the color that he/she wants to. Don’t say, "Pink color is meant for girls and boys shouldn’t wear it".


• Avoid giving gender stereotypical gifts to your child. Most of the parents do that. They buy a doll for their daughter and a bat for their son. These gifts are not bad but they result in developing gender stereotypes. Therefore you can buy a gift that is suitable for both a girl and a boy.


• Don’t be overprotective about your girls and don’t over pamper them. If they want to go out alone let them go. If they are crying from frustration, don’t hug them or feel sorry for them. Instead you can push them a little harder telling them that they are capable of more.


• Don’t emphasize on the physical appearance of your daughter. Instead, you can emphasis on her skills, talents and abilities. Talk with her about what she can do rather than how beautiful she looks in her pink dress.


• What a child watches or hears also matters. So be aware of the things he/she is watching or hearing. On television, there are a lots of gender stereotyped messages that can convey negative messages to them. Talk to them about what they are watching and hearing.