Running head: GENDER-RELATED STEREOTYPES 1

Gender-Related Stereotypes

Name

Institution Affiliation

Gender-Related Stereotypes
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As a natural part of human life, stress has adverse consequences, not only on our physical

health but also on our mental wellbeing (Mckeand, 2016). Sometimes individuals try to ignore

the presence of stressful conditions with hopes that the stress will go away. Indeed, stress has

been a common topic of discussion by many researchers and experts in the field of psychology,

owing to the fact that all the people experience stress in one way or another, yet nobody has the

capacity to fully get rid of it. Stress in the workplace is a more common topic as many research

studies have been conducted to examine the causal factors associated with job stress, and how it

affects the performance of the employees (Mckeand, 2016).In addition, many reports on work-

place stress in the United States have been released to show the level of job stress among the

American adults in their workplaces. For example, reports from The American Institute of Stress

indicate that workplace stress is the main source of stress for the working class in the US, and it

has continued to escalate over the last few decades. The focus of this paper is gender and work-

place stress. More specifically, it discusses the impacts of gender-related stereotypes on women’s

stress levels in the workplace.

According to Gyllensten and Palmer (2005), gender is one of the major demographic fea-

tures that experts and researchers consider when examining the experience of stress between men

and women. While some research studies indicate that there is no difference on how men and

women experience stress in the workplace, other studies suggest that the difference in both sexes

is based on the types of stressors and the severity of stress experienced (Gyllensten & Palmer,

2005). For instance, evidence shows that women face unique stressor that are not common

among the men. Such stressors include discrimination, multiple roles and gender stereotyping

among others. For this reason, it is important to consider the unique stressors for working men
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and women in order to have a deeper understanding of their specific needs in relation to job

stress.

Gender stereotyping has been highlighted by many research studies as one of the main

stressors for women in the workplace (Gyllensten & Palmer, 2005). A gender stereotype refers to

the generalized preconception about the features possessed or the roles performed by both males

and females. Gender stereotyping, therefore, is ascribing to the specific attributes, roles or fea-

tures of an individual by reason of him/her being a male/a female (Colella & King, 2018). It is an

offence which is punishable by law as it violates human rights as well as fundamental freedoms.

It is important to note that gender stereotypes normally begin at the puberty level when gender

roles become more defined. Inequalities between males and females intensify during adulthood,

leading to more societal pressures on the women to perform certain roles. A good example of

gender stereotyping that is very common in the workplace is sexual harassment. It is considered

as any sexual behavior that is offensive and not welcome by the victim. Cases of sexual harass-

ment are more common for women working in male-dominated occupations like engineering,

mathematics, physics etc. Many human rights activists argue that, other than sexual harassment,

working women are often subjected to less compensation which is inconsistent to the type of

work they do. Indeed, these pressures contribute to the stress in women, especially those working

in masculine occupations (Colella & King, 2018).

Indeed, gender stereotyping in the workplace has adverse effects on the stress levels of

the women. However, it does not mean that women do not experience any form of stress in the

workplace if they are not being subjected to any form of gender stereotyping at all. For a matter

of fact, they experience the same level of stress in the workplace like their male counterparts; for

example, shortage of workers, heavy workload or a demanding boss. However, the stress levels
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of women tend to increase as the result of negative gender stereotyping. In essence, gender stere-

otyping increases the stress levels of women in the workplace through discrimination, gender-

based violence, and low compensation (Colella & King, 2018).

Discrimination against women is one of the main forms of gender stereotyping that in-

creases the level of stress experienced by women in the workplace. The most common form of

discrimination against women in the workplace is offering a job to a less qualified male applicant

at the expense of a more qualified female applicant. Women are also discriminated for their

looks, and sometimes they may be denied a chance for promotion just because of their gender.

Women also experience high stress levels in the workplace when they are subjected to gender-

based violence such as sexual harassment. According to the UN Human Rights Commission,

gender-based violence is one of the main outcomes of wrongful gender stereotyping against

women that increases the level of stress they experience in the workplace. This form of gender

stereotyping influences the fact how women are treated by their bosses whenever the former re-

port incidences of being sexually harassed by their male counterparts in the workplace. More fre-

quently, women subjected to sexual harassment are ignored and never get justice for the violence

caused against them. Low compensation for women, particularly those working in male-domi-

nated occupations increases their stress levels in the workplace. In many organizations, it is not

surprising to find women being paid less than the men, despite working in the same job position

and having the same qualification as that of the male workers in the same job group. Indeed, the

overwhelming stress on women caused by gender stereotyping has negative impacts not only on

their physical health but on their mental, as well as emotional wellbeing.

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References

Colella, A., & King, E. (2018). The Oxford handbook of workplace discrimination. New York,

NY: Oxford University Press.

Gyllensten, K., & Palmer, S. (2005). The role of gender in workplace stress: a critical literature

review. Health Education Journal, 64(3), 271-288.

Mckeand, R. (2016, December 28). Gender and stress: how men and women experience stress

differently. Retrieved from https://miscmagazine.com/gender-and-stress/