Stereotypes In The Workplace

The reason women have such a difficult time in the work force is a result of the stereotypes and roles that have been forced on them. In order to succeed in the workplace a person must be ambitious, authoritative, and competent all these characteristics are used to describe men, but not women. These molds cause women to work harder in order to break away from the stereotypes. In the United States, there are subtypes of males and females that have emerged since the 1970s. For women the three subtypes are the housewife, or the traditional woman whose purpose is similar to the women in history. They raise the children and take care of the home, while the husband works. The second is the professional woman; she’s independent, ambitious, and self-confidant. The third is the Playboy bunny; also known as the sex object her sole purpose is to bring pleasure to a man. All three of these subtypes are expected to be concerned with having and caring for children. There are four male subtypes they

Stereotypes have power as standards that people wish to conform to. They serve as a continuous filter in which society perceives an individual, and stereotype-consistent behavior stands out to people more than those who break the mold . An example being a white man who asserts himself would be remembered at promotion time, rather than an Asian woman who behaved in the same manor. Therefore, it is difficult to change stereotypes or dismantle them, and also explains the lack of women in leadership roles in companies. Stereotypes also serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy, meaning that if women are characterized with negative traits than women will observe those traits within themselves and develop them. People also conform to stereotypes so that they will be largely accepted by groups of people. Due to this stereotypes are difficult to break or