Stereotypes Of Women Essay

“When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” James A. Forbes

Gender equality, as it pertains to women is a topic that is extremely relevant, even in this day and age. To advocate and identify gender equality, society must first realize the ramifications and prevalence of gender stereotypes and social expectations for women. A useful method of exposing and highlighting these stereotypes is through the use of literature. Virginia Woolf and Alicia Keys wrote two excellent, thorough and concise essays regarding the topic of stereotypes of women. Albeit there

They are also used to evoke a sense of relation, to make the reader empathize with the writer and come to a realization that everybody is a human being regardless of their social status. “One of the many things I was tired of was the constant judgement of women. The constant stereotyping through every medium that makes us feel being a normal size is not normal.” In this quote Keys is portraying what she goes through on a daily basis and relates it to millions of other women that go through the same struggle. An example of when Woolf experienced a similar occurrence is when she was in her writing process but was unable to continue to write to her best ability because her mind leaped across the boundary set by social expectations during her time. Despite the different time periods and social environments of the two essays, both women have had experiences where social expectations and stereotypes for women have hindered their maximum efficiency and suppressed their true and unique character. This goes to highlight the notion that the social stereotyping of women is blatantly evident and is a part of everyday life for most women. This means that even prominent women in society experience these unfair expectations of that are set for