Professional Documents
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What is gender stereotype and what is gender How do gender stereotypes/stereotyping harm
stereotyping? women?
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
preventing women from acquiring ownership of land Many international human rights treaty bodies have
since only the “head of the household” is authorized to interpreted the rights to non-discrimination and
sign official documentation. equality to include those forms of discrimination and
inequality that are rooted in stereotypes, including
- The Special rapporteur on the right to health has also gender stereotypes. The nature of States’ obligations
observed how societal norms are often based on in this regard has been detailed in the jurisprudence
stereotypical beliefs about the need to regulate and recommendations of treaty bodies. Those
women’s freedom, particularly with regard to sexual obligations include, inter alia:
identity and life, resulting into restrictions to sexual and - revising text books;
reproductive rights. - ensuring that teachers receive gender training;
- implementing programmes to encourage girls to
What are the States obligations vis-à-vis pursue education and employment in non-traditional
stereotypes and stereotyping? fields;
- undertaking public information and education
CEDAW’s Article 5 (a) requires States Parties to take
programmes to change attitudes concerning the roles
“all appropriate measures” to “modify the social and
and status of men and women;
cultural patterns of conduct of men and women” in an
- taking measures to train public officials and the
effort to eliminate practices that “are based on the idea
judiciary to ensure that stereotypical prejudices and
of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes
values do not affect decision-making;
or on stereotyped roles for men and women.” Article
- emphasizing through awareness raising activities the
2(f) reinforces article 5 by requiring States Parties to
importance of women’s participation in decision
take “all appropriate measures” to “modify or abolish …
making roles;
laws, regulations, customs and practices which
- adopting measures, including temporary special
constitute discrimination against women.”
measures, to eliminate occupational segregation based
The Committee has interpreted these provisions as on gender stereotypes;
imposing an obligation on States Parties to modify and - adopting positive measures to expose and modify
transform gender stereotypes and eliminate wrongful harmful genders stereotypes within the health sector;
gender stereotyping. This distinction is important as it - addressing gender stereotypes/ing that impairs or
recognises that although there are difficulties in nullify equality in marriage and family relations,
requiring States Parties to “eliminate” a (stereotypical) including through implementing comprehensive policy
belief, it is important to “modify and transform” beliefs and awareness raising initiatives designed to
that are harmful to women. It also recognises that overcome stereotypical attitudes about the roles and
States Parties must eradicate the practice of applying responsibilities of women and men in family and
stereotypical beliefs to individual women and men in society.
ways that violate their human rights.
The work of OHCHR
Art. 10 of CEDAW further provides that States shall
take all appropriate measures to “ensure, on a basis of There is a growing consensus that gender stereotyping
poses a significant, yet largely unaddressed, challenge
equality of men and women the elimination of any
to the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of women’s
stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at human rights. OHCHR has completed research on
all levels and in all forms of education by encouraging wrongful gender stereotyping by the judiciary in cases
coeducation and other types of education which will of sexual and gender-based violence and is engaged in
help to achieve this aim and, in particular, by the projects in some countries to address stereotyping in
revision of textbooks and school programmes and the judicial decisions. OHCHR is also supporting the
adaptation of teaching methods”. human rights mechanisms in analysing human rights
obligations related to gender stereotypes and
stereotyping.
Prepared by: Women’s Rights and Gender Section, OHCHR Research and Right to Development Division
Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch, contact: wrgs@ohchr.org