SCHOOL OF Western Sydney University

ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

STUDENT DETAILS

Student name: Pham Gia Khanh Student ID number: WSU21000046

UNIT AND TUTORIAL DETAILS

Unit name: AEn-T122WSB-10 Unit number:

Tutorial group: Tutorial day and time:
Lecturer or Tutor name: Enzo Smith

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Title: Individual essay

Length: 1386 words Due date: 11th April 2022 Date submitted: 11th April 2022
Home campus (where you are enrolled):

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I hold a copy of this assignment if the original is lost or damaged.

I hereby certify that no part of this assignment or product has been copied from any other student’s work or from
any other source except where due acknowledgement is made in the assignment.
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current) assessment, except where appropriately referenced, and with prior permission from the Lecturer /
Tutor / Unit Coordinator for this unit.
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Student’s signature: Khanh

Note: An examiner or lecturer / tutor has the right to not mark this assignment if the above declaration has not been
signed.
Research question : How do social gender stereotypes effect women's job opportunities in

big cities?

Male-female differences have been divided throughout history into two categories: biological

differences (hormones and physical appearance), and social and cultural differences (Ngun et al.,

2011). Gender stereotypes arise as a consequence of these disparities, and they develop when

someone generalizes a trait or a feature on a group of individuals of the same gender. Stereotypes

can lead to disrespect for one's personal effort and limit one's options, especially in the

workplace. These preconceptions can have an impact on both genders, either favorably or badly.

However, it is clear that the negative impacts are disproportionately focused on women, which is

linked to specific cultural and societal conventions.This essay will demonstrate how gender

stereotypes might limit women's career opportunities through information, data, and the impact

of these stereotypes, and also give solutions to this problem.

Women have traditionally been considered to be incapable of doing what they are genuinely

capable of. This is mirrored in women's negative attitudes and comments, as they are only

appropriate for housework, do not need to study excellently, and do not need to apply for top

occupations. Gender stereotypes, for example, are the reason why women pursue degrees in

subjects that lead to lower-paying professions. Many of the higher-paying occupations require a

degree in one of the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and in

these fields, men still outnumber women. Women are being driven out of jobs in science and

engineering, according to Schwartz (2015), not because they can't handle infants and Bunsen
burners, but because they are discouraged at every turn by thousands of little, sexist moments

that make them feel unwelcome and worthless. In the report of Statistics Canada data in 2009,

just 12% of full professors in STEM are female at universities; they are more likely to work as

associate faculty or assistant professors. Obviously, even if they do acquire a job, the number of

women in positions of leadership is still low. As said by Shendruk (2015), despite an increase in

women receiving STEM degrees, the percentage of women working in STEM disciplines has not

changed in over 30 years. Women made up 20% of the STEM workforce in 1987. In 2015, it

stood at 22%. When it comes to honoring a body of work with an award or a medal, the statistics

are equally as negative. By the research of Schwartz (2015) women accounted for only 11 of the

60 members of the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame (18%). It is unfortunate that

some people still assume that most women forgo STEM fields because they can't or won't

combine family and work; for visible minorities, the situation is even worse. STEM areas are just

an evidence of how women are at a disadvantage when it comes to employment options, in

addition to other occupations. The proliferation of gender stereotypes that assert that some

vocations are unsuitable for women or that they should solely focus on housekeeping and serving

their family will have an increasing impact on them.

As stated in the above paragraph, if these obsolete and antiquated attitudes remain and worsen,

women will be forced to live with the consequences. First and foremost, consider the negative

consequences. Gender stereotypes, in essence, shape our opinions of ourselves and others—and

this may be especially problematic for women, because buying into such notions can lead to a

bleak self-image that holds them back professionally. Since gender preconceptions have existed

for a long enough period to establish an opinion of women who lack confidence, do not have a
voice, and do not fight for their own abilities. Females face significant consequences as a result

of stereotypical classifications of professions and disciplines, which restrict learning and prevent

women from reaching their full potential (Ertl et al., 2017). Following Gerdeman (2019), one

reason women may be shying away from particular occupations is a lack of confidence in their

abilities to compete in fields where males are stereotypically thought to do better, such as

science, math, and technology. Women are also more hesitant to offer their opinions in group

talks about these topics. Even when they have skils and are informed they are high performers in

certain disciplines, women are more likely than men to dismiss the praise and underestimate their

own ability. This issue is also well constructed from the time they are students. In forecasting

their own capabilities, women had far less confidence in their results on the examinations they

considered males had an edge in. Another negative effect that should be noted, is having a

constrained career, which results in women earning significantly less than males. Although all

jobs are valuable, areas of expertise or leadership provide people with a more stable and wealthy

living. It is also the dream of women who want to care for themselves and their families without

having to rely on males. Before, there are relatively few women in positions of power or who

work in high-level positions. But up to now, it can be observed that the rate has improved

significantly, but there are still situations where the income level of women and men, although

being in the same position, has an unjust gap. However, we must recognize that all problems

have both positive and negative aspects. Today's society is more accessible, thinking is more

contemporary, and young people recognized the gravity of the problem that gender norms have

bequeathed to earlier generations. Women are increasingly daring to speak up and fight for their

equality not just in economic prospects, but also in other areas where aberrant gender prejudices

once existed. Gender stereotypes are undeniably a motivating factor in women's efforts to
develop their talents in order to build bravery and confidence in an attempt to validate

themselves. Furthermore, 'masculine' occupations are relatively undesirable for women in terms

of health, since working with experiments, chemicals, or jobs that are too heavy for a woman's

physicality will have a negative impact on her health.

Even though there are certain positive points to gender prejudice, they must be passed away

gradually so that the values of each individual are no longer compromised. Both descriptive and

prescriptive gender stereotypes, according to the ideas outlined above, may impact hiring

procedures. González et al. (2019) propose two hypotheses to investigate these possibilities.

They anticipated that discrimination against female candidates would be less severe for

individuals with greater levels of qualification for the position. Also the decrease in employer

prejudice against female candidates indicates that companies are willing to compensate for any

perceived disadvantages in women's unobservable with candidates' greater observables. While

raising knowledge of unconscious prejudices in organizations might help to lessen their impact,

expanding female workforce participation is critical to combating biases. For example, powerful,

skilled women in the office are frequently labeled as cold and unwelcoming. Because women

have a low representation at work, such judgments are based on interactions with a small number

of women. However, if there are a greater number of women in a workplace, the diversity in

their behavioral features can help break down the preconceived views that society has about

working women. Some women can be competent while also being friendly, and vice versa.

Nonetheless, it is not sustainable for women to rely solely on the battle for their own rights from

society; boldness and self-belief are essential for breaking down gender barriers. Do not be
hesitant to demonstrate your ability to compete in disciplines such as STEM, use the chance to

acquire a career you want, and work even harder to be in a position worthy of your skills.

As has been demonstrated, gender stereotypes are a poisonous phenomenon for all genders, but

the majority of the negative impacts will be aimed mostly towards women, who continue to face

significant inequalities in career possibilities and income levels. Women have faced similar

negative gender norms and gender stereotypes for decades, and the primary reason for this is that

we approach solutions to these problems in the incorrect way, and in other cases, we do not

address them at all. We must begin to recognize that these issues are genuine and tremendously

destructive to our society, particularly women. Then we must face the fact that these destructive

standards and prejudices have existed for generations, and we must adopt a new approach to

eliminating them from our society and culture.

Reference list:

Ertl, B., Luttenberger, S., & Paechter, M. (2017). The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on the Self-

Concept of Female Students in STEM Subjects with an Under-Representation of Females.

Frontiers in Psychology, 8(1).

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00703

Gerdeman, D. (2019, February 25). How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence.

Harvard Business School.

https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-gender-stereotypes-less-than-br-greater-than-kill-a-woman-s-

less-than-br-greater-than-self-confidence

González, M. J., Cortina, C., & Rodríguez, J. (2019). The Role of Gender Stereotypes in Hiring:

A Field Experiment. European Sociological Review, 35(2), 187–204.

https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcy055

Ngun, T. C., Ghahramani, N., Sánchez, F. J., Bocklandt, S., & Vilain, E. (2011). The genetics of

sex differences in brain and behavior. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 32(2), 227–246.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.10.001

Schwartz, Z. (2015, April 21). Why there are still far too few women in STEM. Macleans.ca.

https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/why-there-are-still-far-too-few-women-in-stem/
Shendruk, A. (2015, June 18). Gender inequality in STEM is very real for Canadian women.

Macleans.ca.

https://www.macleans.ca/society/science/gender-inequality-in-the-sciences-its-still-very-

present-in-canada/