Gender stereotypes

[LordWheresMyShoes]

How have gender stereotypes got us to where we are today?

I believe that they contribute to all sorts of harm in our society, like the belief that if you don't feel like the appropriate gender stereotype, you must be trans. Like the male suicide rate because men and boys aren't raised to talk about their feelings as much as women and girls. Like the fact that almost all girls toys are pink, and even lego characters "have to look different" to be suitable for boys vs girls. And that certain qualities, actions or traits are inherently only for one sex.

What would you like to see happening in t the world which can change harmful gender stereotyping?

Removal of gender stereotypes! Which essentially means removal of gender. According to Stonewall that would make us all trans , which isn't my point, but there is a very good point in there.

Gender and its stereotypes have, as far as I can see, done nothing in the past 20 years - at least - that is positive. They are just boxes that people are wedged into. About 10 years ago I was seeing positive movements in terms of real discussions questioning pink for girls and boys not expressing a full range of emotions. That has TOTALLY reversed now, because if a girl is a 'tomboy', she's actually a boy. And vice versa.

And if we didn't have gender, then the entire issue re trans would be dead in the water: those with 'gender' dysphoria wouldn't have it. Those with biological sex dysphoria (which was often what led to operations in the 'olden' days) would be able to get the treatment they need, unprejudiced by woke agendas.

Oooh well put @ahumanfemale !

Part of me is still hanging on to gender as a useful thing. I have no idea why, as I cannot justify it one bit

It didn't occur to me that sex dysphoria exists, and is separate from gender dysphoria. It makes total sense now you come to mention it. Clearly I still have a lot to learn!

Lord someone (sorry - can't remember who, it was on another thread) posted this this evening and it's a good read. A bit long, but it divides up how gender dysphoria manifests in (primarily) three different ways. It doesn't separate sex and gender, but it is connected.

4thwavenow.com/2017/12/07/gender-dysphoria-is-not-one-thing/

I find it quite fascinating - it’s so hard to imagine a world without gender. Are there any societies where behaviours/ roles are not sexually dimorphic? Is it a given?

Gender is useful if you make/sell toys and clothes, especially children's clothes. Once a family would just pass things down to siblings, now you can sell twice as much. Even buying my DD a bike (one of the expensive brands) the sales people kept pushing the purple or pink. No wonder, if it increases sales overall. That's the only use I can see.

Even though I really try to avoid these stereotypes. I find I buy baby gifts that are aimed at boys or girls as I don't want the parent to think it's a generic baby gift, but one I chose after the actual baby was there. Enough little messages to enough people, and here we are.

I would like to see an acceptance of a wide range of normal. Stereotypes seem to have hardened and simplified in the current social media age such that to step outside them is really against the grain. Right down to the colour of the baby socks.

People are complex and interesting. If you average them all out then obviously there are features and behaviours more found in one gender or the other. But that does not mean that a man or woman can't have interests or skills from one end of the bell curve. That's just diversity.

My DH is tidy and brilliant at housework. He might be in the top 1% of men for laundry skills. It doesn't make him a woman though!

Not sure I'm putting this very well. But I find it disappointing we seem to have gone backwards in opportunity since the 70s and 80s.

can't remember who, it was on another thread

It was me ... 'waves'

It is a very important analysis by two of the world's leading experts in the field. I post it at every opportunity to spread the awareness of what is happening here.

"Gender" is a tool of patriarchy to impose a power and control hierarchy, wherein masculinity is dominant and femininity is subordinate.

Sex = female; gender = learned stereotyped behaviours described as feminine / femininity [subordinate].

Sex = male; gender = learned stereotyped behaviours described as masculine / masculinity [dominant].

It is very frustrating, I was brought up in a family where meant weren’t allowed to show feelings, if Dad was out you had to ‘step up’ and look after everyone etc. My sister was allowed to play with my toys, but if I showed any interest in hers I was a sissy etc.

My son loves trucks, but he will also happily play with dolls, a while ago his nursery called me as they had concerns about his behaviour, their concern was the fact that a boy likes playing with dolls! I doubt they phone the parents of daughters playing with monster trucks etc.

I’m very stereotypically male, the way I dress, I love football, rugby, boxing and unless I really really trust someone I won’t show any emotion. Which I know is unhealthy, but it has been drummed into me since being a small child. I also wouldn’t wear anything outside of my home that I don’t deem typically male.

Ex is not typically masculine, will wear nail varnish, feminine clothes, heels, handbags and if he feels something he will show it/openly talk about it. He was brought up to embrace his feelings, wear what he liked, play with the toys he liked etc. It is so much healthier being brought up to be comfortable in your own skin, rather than having to exhibit false masculinity.

A colleague at work was getting stick recently as his wife must be a lazy cow as he does all the housework, yet none of them would accuse a husband of being lazy if his wife did all the housework.

We’re so so far away from positive changes.

"Transgenderism" is utterly ridiculous.

It means we have hundreds of thousands of males, motivated by specific genres of pornography, who express the 'kink' that is BDSM, and want to adopt the 'submissive' or "done to" role in their sexual relations [which is how they perceive the female role to be according to pornographic culture] and yet they are unable to shed their conditioning to dominate by imposing their sexual behaviour on females by demanding that we believe they are females.

It is all so laughable.