A rant on gender stereotypes

[JuliaL]

If men were the equals of women they would not be such inadequate wet nurses.
Just sayin'....

[Dystopia]

IIRC those studies were inconclusive. It was hard to tell if that preference was influenced by parents or not. I'll have to look it up.

The mechanic stereotype does confuse me. Why is it unfeminine? This is crafting, which is usually either gender neutral or a feminine task. Weavers and potters are often women. So why is this different? Why is math and engineering seen as unfeminine?

It's because some men like to feel superior and they are afraid women can equal or have better performance than them doing supposedly masculine tasks/jobs

[Alex K]

IIRC those studies were inconclusive. It was hard to tell if that preference was influenced by parents or not. I'll have to look it up.

The mechanic stereotype does confuse me. Why is it unfeminine? This is crafting, which is usually either gender neutral or a feminine task. Weavers and potters are often women. So why is this different? Why is math and engineering seen as unfeminine?

I've noticed there are a lot of Italian women in my field of physics (more so than in Germany, say), and upon asking I've been told two things: firstly, in Italy maths is seen more as something akin to philosophy, and as such suitable for women, and secondly, academia jobs in Italy are not that well paid, therefore lower in social status and thus automatically more open to women. Make of that what you will...

[Ryantology]

The existence of stereotypes is not important. It's what we do with them.

Women are, on average, not as physically-strong as men. This is how we justify gender discrimination in sports. It doesn't matter that an individual woman might have all the physical prowess and training to play on their level. It doesn't matter that she might be a better quarterback than Tom Brady or hit more long 3s than Larry Bird. Because she has a vagina, she's automatically disqualified. All other things being equal, the parts in your pants are all that actually matters to a lot of people.

That's stupid and wrong.

[John V]

IIRC those studies were inconclusive. It was hard to tell if that preference was influenced by parents or not. I'll have to look it up.

The mechanic stereotype does confuse me. Why is it unfeminine? This is crafting, which is usually either gender neutral or a feminine task. Weavers and potters are often women. So why is this different? Why is math and engineering seen as unfeminine?

It's because some men like to feel superior and they are afraid women can equal or have better performance than them doing supposedly masculine tasks/jobs

That's circular as an explanation for why the mechanic stereotype exists in the first place.

[Losty]

What I have noticed, is if you give a little kid a choice between baby dolls and toy trucks, the girls pick the dolls and boys pick trucks.

After a while, the boys take apart whatever they can on the truck, and the girls soon have all the clothes off the doll.
So were all different and the same at the same time.

BS I worked my ass off to keep gender stereotypes away from my kids as much as possible. My daughter has always been a purple monster truck kind of girl. She never cared for dolls and at the mature age of 6 she's already decided that she wants to be an engineer and she's doesn't plan to have children. Will she change her mind? Probably several time, she's 6. My son, loves pink and plans to be a dinosaur when he grows up.

[Natachan]

Eewwwww..... Monster trucks. Those things are so impractical. You raise the center of gravity so they can't go off road anymore, and most can't haul anything due to the modifications. Plus, where would you get the drop hitch to go to a trailer?

Kudos on you. We need more girls who aren't afraid to play with math and trucks.

[Dystopia]

It's because some men like to feel superior and they are afraid women can equal or have better performance than them doing supposedly masculine tasks/jobs

That's circular as an explanation for why the mechanic stereotype exists in the first place.

It's not circular, it's the only truthful explanation - Highly deeply ingrained socially accepted gender roles and more specifically patriarchal principles (like men holding higher paying jobs being the rule). If you do not acknowledge this, you need a lesson on sociology.

Losty, being a dinosaur rocks, but when I was a kid I've always wanted to be a lion or a dog.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I grew up playing football, and am comfortable crying. I love cooking, but hate doing dishes. I can fix most light-to-medium jobs on my truck, and I can color-match pretty goddamned well.

Fuck stereotypes. Be who you are, love what you do, and let the devil take the hindmost.

[BrokenQuill92]

I suppose I have the opposite problem. Other feminist think I'm letting down the team because of my super girlishness. I like pink ponies. I crochete. I sew. (Sewing is a life skill and a money saver people!)And run a tight ship in my kitchen. And I simply don't understand anyone who's uncomfortable in a skirt. I can't stand pants! They're awful, and they never fit just right. Why would you restrict your legs that way? Ugh!