There are various differences among the members of our society. A significant difference is the one that exists between men and women. This difference is biological in nature, and it is characterized by varying physical features in the two sexes. The society has traditionally used the biological differences to create gender stereotypes, which are generalizations about the personal attributes of males and females in society.
From an early age, children are taught which activities and behaviours the society assign to either women or men. Due to this exposure, the children grow up with deeply ingrained attitudes about how members of each sex should act and the roles they should play in society. While some of the gender stereotypes are benign, others can be problematic and have negative repercussions. One of the problematic gender stereotypes is the belief that women should be unassertive. This paper will discuss the stereotype that women are unassertive and show how it limits the professional development of women and puts them at risk of domestic violence and mental health issues.
From an early age, children are taught that women should be unassertive. Aggressive behaviour in girls is discouraged and even punished. Passive and submissive behaviour is encouraged and praised. For example, while playing with their peers, young girls are expected to be agreeable and considerate of the needs of their friends. Fighting is to be avoided at all costs, and compromises are often made. This socialization instils the notion that girls should not be assertive and that they should put the interests of others ahead of their own. When interacting with men, the stereotype dictates that women should engender characteristics like warmth, modesty, and agreeability.
As a result of this stereotype, women are discouraged from pursuing their goals or speaking up for what they believe in. Girls who demonstrate great assertiveness are normally regarded as strange and ridiculed by their peers. This causes many women to revert to the expected social norm of non- assertiveness. As adults, women adopt passive roles and avoid being aggressive in most situations. The society encourages the perpetuation of this stereotype by rewarding the unassertive woman who is regarded as proper. On the other hand, assertive women are degraded by being given unpleasant labels such as “bitchy” and “bossy.” The perpetuation of the stereotype that women should be unassertive in society has a number of significant repercussions.
Stereotype leads to the development of low self esteem by many women. Women who follow the gender stereotype of being unassertive try to be agreeable at all times. They do not insist on having their personal needs when faced with opposition. Instead, they compromise or seek to be agreeable since they are expected to be non-assertive. This can lead to the view that the person’s opinion is not worthy since it is either suppressed or changed to accommodate others. Women who believe that their opinions are worthless can develop low self-esteem. Since their personal views are not respected, they may start believing that they do not deserve to be respected and their opinions do not count. This might result to emotional health issues such as stress, depression and anxiety issues. These decrease the quality of life enjoyed by the woman suffering from low self-esteem.
In some areas women are barred from positions of leadership due to their perceived lack of assertiveness. They are exposed to domestic violence and mental health issues due to this stereotype. Considering the significant negative repercussions of this stereotype, steps should be taken to neutralize it.
