Amy has a friend who is firm, strong, stable,
decisive, rational…and has a good personality. This friend is an ideal
companion. Will you think this is her boyfriend?
John also has a good friend who is gentle,
sweet, innocent-eyed, considerate, perceptive, speaks gently and has a
good personality. This friend is also an ideal companion. Will you
think this is John's girlfriend?
Oops, Amy's friend is a girl and John's friend is a boy! So are they kind of "tomboy or sissy guy" ?!
Well, this expression reflects the impact of
gender stereotyping; Stereotypical thinking can be very powerful to an
extend that it can supersede a person’s biological nature; hence the
derogatory terms “tomboy” and “sissy”. Gender stereotypes bring damages
to our growth and personality as a unique human being ; examples of:
men should not cry, women should not talk back; men should be muscular,
women should be slim and slender; men should make decisions, women
should be submissive; men should have successful careers, women’s
careers are in the home. But as a matter of fact, every human being
cries, has one’s own unique physical shape, should learn to make one’s
own decisions, needs a career to make a living, and needs to socialize.
In reality, everyone is unique (take a look at
your fingerprints!) and has one’s own unique characteristics. The value
of humans is in their rights, dignity and freedom. Put aside these
gender stereotypes and life will be happier! Why not?
In
previous eras, women were conceived to be gentle and delicate; as a
result, heavy-duty jobs such as moving objects and minor household
renovations were always performed by...
By: Chan Siu Ming, graduated
from Social Work Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Currently a
social worker, working on poverty issues and advocacy work in Hong Ko...
