In the story where the person describes her stressful post-partum, she meets more of the

feminine roles. Moreover, apart from being able to tell she is a woman because only women can

get pregnant, she mentions how stressed she was after giving birth. Her references to sleepless

nights, eye bags, and overwork from being a mother fit the stereotype that women are expected

to go above and beyond for their kids and be the nurturing figure of the house (Helgeson, 2020).

Additionally, she mentioned that she ate well and cared for her health, suggesting that, as we

learned in the last module, women tend to be more conscious about their health than men. The

woman did not seem to fit the schemas for her gender when she threw her stress away. Even if

she said, she is sure the pressure will come back, saying, “I threw all my stress and frustration

into every pushup, lift and run, and I passed,” sounds like something society would expect men

to do: repress their emotions and appear strong.

In the story, where the person describes how stressed she was after finding out her

daughter was pregnant, it is clear that she is a woman. Moreover, she seems to be a very attentive

mother who spends much time with her kid, taking her to doctor’s appointments and emotionally

supporting her. Society has these high nurturing expectations for mothers (Helgeson, 2020).

Additionally, she reached out for support during that challenging time and talked to a single

mother. As we learned in the last module, women are more likely to ask for help than men. The

woman does not seem to fit her gender stereotypes at times, as she mentioned she hid her

disappointment for her daughter. Moreover, women are expected to be emotional, and hiding

negative emotions is something society associates more with the masculine gender.

In the story, where the person describes her frustrations with his job, he inhibits more

male characteristics. Moreover, he is concerned with how much he gets paid and mentions his

team of underachievers. Society often sees men as hardworking and the financial providers of the
house (Helgeson, 2020), and working hard on his job seems to be the most stressful experience

for this guy. Additionally, society often talks about the hidden privileges of being a man and how

they think they are superior; therefore, the male right may have influenced this person’s opinion

of his coworkers as “underachievers.” The person does not seem to fit his gender expectations

because he mentions numerous emotions, such as feeling underappreciated and frustrated at

work. As I explained earlier, society expects men to toughen up and hide their feelings, and with

his writing, this guy did the opposite.

The story where someone describes being a caregiver to her grandmother shows that the

person is likely a female. Moreover, women are typically expected to take nurturing roles, and in

the workforce, society often expects most nurses to be females (Helgeson, 2020). Therefore, by

caring for her grandmother at the end of her life, the woman fits her gender expectations. The

woman seems not to fit her gender stereotypes because she was never prepared for her

grandmother’s death. Moreover, even if society expects women to be more emotional, it may

also expect them to have more emotional intelligence. For example, only 24% of males are

therapists (Stone, 2023). Thus, people who are gender schematic may believe that the woman is

not as aware of her emotions as she should be because she was unprepared to cope with grief.

The woman who describes her challenges as a single mother fits most feminine

stereotypes. Moreover, women often have a double burden of being successful in life and being

nurturing mothers (Helgeson, 2020). In her story, she shares that she has been stressing out trying

to manage being a single mother and to serve in the military. However, she seems not to fit the

female stereotype of having a solid support system. The woman mentions that her parents live far

from her; however, she never said she had contacted them to ask for help regardless of the
distance limit. Therefore, she does not fit the stereotype that women are more likely to ask for

help.

References

Helgeson, V. S. (2020). Sex-Related Comparisons. In The Psychology of Gender (Sixth, pp. 211–

215). essay, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Stone, J. (2023, February 10). Why Is It So Hard to Find a Male

Therapist? | Psychology Today. Www.psychologytoday.com.

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