“To what extend does gender discrimination influence the world and the people in our society?”
Lokshana Groodoyal social responsibility Research topic: “The impacts on males (morally, personally, professionally, etc…) ” – November 20, 2020
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Firstly, the question that most people ask: “are tougher men also affected by gender discrimination?” and the answer is YES! whether it be the strongest men in the world or on the planet. they are still affected. How? this blog will answer the question…
This round of research will focus on the moral, personal and health impacts of gender discrimination on males. Gender stereotypes play a huge role in affecting men because it is one of the main reasons gender discrimination exists. Which is also known as mentality. As I mentioned in my previous research that mentality is one of the causes of gender discrimination. However, gender stereotypes are something that we all have been taught ever since we were little or came across at some point in our lives [1]. If not yourself then you probably witnessed someone else, but you certainly came across it.
Moving on, here are some examples of stereotypes that create the image of perfect men/male:
- All men enjoy working on cars
- Men are not nurses, they are doctors
- Men do “dirty jobs” such as construction and mechanics; they are not secretaries, teachers, or cosmetologists
- Men do not do housework and they are not responsible for taking care of children
- Men play video games (especially actions)
- Men enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, fishing
- Men are in charge; they are always at the top
- As husbands, men tell their wives what
- Men are lazy and/or messy
- Men are good at math (usually)
- It is always men who work in science, engineering, and other technical fields
- Men do not cook, sew, or do crafts
- Men are not emotional
- and more…
These examples of men stereotypes are very popular. And men are very affected by every phrase and word that is judging them. These stereotypes harm their health that leads to cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes are often linked to unhealthy diets, stress, substance abuse, and other habits, which the report connects to behaviours often stereotypically seen as masculine behaviours like heavy drinking and smoking. Gender stereotypes frequently discourage men and damage their morality by maintaining the image the society has for them. Which then forces them to not seek the help they need because they are supposed to be seen as not emotional and independent[2]. They lose self-confidence and lack concentration on their studies or work which increases the risk of mental disorder and suicidal thoughts.[3]
In conclusion, every man is affected by gender discrimination. Whether the men are tougher than others or fearless or whatever may it be, gender discrimination does harm them. Not only it is affecting their health, but increasing the risk of death because they are pressured to maintain the image that has been set for them the day they were determined to be a male. The pressure they feel is also preventing them from achieving their goal and creating their own identity and becoming the “men” they have dreamed of.
Reliable Sources:
- Bosse, J. (2017, June 22). How ‘Man Up’ And Other Stereotypical Sayings Hurt Boys. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-man-up-and-other-stereotypical-sayings-hurt-boys_b_594ac2b4e4b092ed90588b28?guccounter=1
- Selby, D. (2018, September 18). Gender Inequality Is Bad for Men’s Health, Report Says. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/gender-inequality-mens-health/
- Bell, G. (2017, December 07). Let’s Get Men Talking About Suicide. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lets-get-men-talking-abou_b_9451820
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How many of the stereotypes you know is actually true or you have witnessed?
My next round of research will dive into the health, professional, personal and mental impacts of gender discrimination on females. Different stereotypes will also be presented and challenges that females in our society face proving that not only does it affect males, but females as well from being a newborn baby boy or baby girl to being an adult. This round of research will answer the main question of how gender discrimination influences the world and the people in our society.
Stay tuned for the next round of research 🙂
Lokshana Groodoyal Research topic: “The impacts on males (morally, personally, professionally, etc…)” – November 20, 2020
Hi Lokshana,
I enjoy reading about your topic. I agree that neither men nor women should be discriminated against because of their gender. I also think that setting stereotypes for men is very unreasonable and unfair. Every person should have the same rights regardless of their gender. I’m surprised that being discriminated diarrhea, drinking, and cardiovascular diseases. I’m looking forward to seeing your next blog and this is a link that might be helpful.
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/WrongfulGenderStereotyping.aspx
Hi Lucas,
thank you for the link! I’ll check it out.
-Lokshana 🙂
Hi Lokshana,
I think it’s very important to explore gender discrimination and it is good that you pointed out that it effects EVERYONE. We would all be so much better off if no one used preconceptions and stereotypes to judge others. I like that you were able to look at this topic with no bias. It’s very easy to only talk about the pay/wage gap and other things like it and call it a day so good job! For your next round it would be interesting to keep in mind how men and women really aren’t different yet they have such detrimental standards.
Here are some hopefully helpful links
https://www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap
http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/svaw/harassment/explore/3causes.htm
http://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/integrity-ethics/module-9/key-issues/forms-of-gender-discrimination.html
Good luck!
Shieva Mokhtarnameh
Hi Shieva,
Will definitely keep that in mind.
Thank you for your reliable resources. Ill look through them.
-Lokshana 🙂
Hello Lokshana! I really enjoyed reading your post. Like you, I find it incredibly disappointing that our society has somehow found a way to use sexism to not only hurt women, but men as well. The fact that “manly” men and men in general feel like they cannot express their feelings is very sad and exceedingly dangerous, as you have shown. Something I was really shocked to see in you post though, was all of the other symptoms and illnesses that can be caused by this sexism and the stress that comes with it, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes. When you add those effects to the already terrible suicide rate among men, it it obvious that we must change as a society. We should stop referring to manliness as being able to be tough and never show their feelings. Manliness should be a man’s ability to be a well-rounded, gentle, and open person, not how much money they make or how much they can lift. Doing this will also in turn help females that might be struggling with the same thing. If we can stop male stereotypes from being propagated, it will be much easier to do the same to female ones. I cannot wait to read your next post!
Some resources that you may find useful are:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00011/full
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00037/full
https://mediasmarts.ca/gender-representation/men-and-masculinity/common-stereotypes-men-media
https://mensline.org.au/wellbeing-blog/male-stereotypes-man-box/
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/sex-gender-identity/what-are-gender-roles-and-stereotypes
Hi Victor,
Thank you for the sources! I’ll take a look at it.
-Lokshana 🙂
Hello Lokshana,
I really enjoyed reading your post! Something I was shocked to learn about is that men are affected by these stereotypes to the extent that they can develop cancer or such. I think that this is a great question you are researching on as this can help peers learn more about gender discrimination and the extent it influences the world and people in society.
Looking forward to your third round of research 🙂