【明報專訊】A stereotype is a fixed idea or image which many people have of a particular type of people or things but which is often not true in reality. To a certain extent, a stereotype is a product of the accumulation of social and cultural beliefs. It is not easy to break a stereotype once it is created. An example is gender stereotypes, which are a set of views and expectations on gender roles, i.e. how people of a certain gender should be like and behave.

Movies vs gender stereotypes

The traditional gender stereotypes are such that women should be tender and caring, while men should be strong and outgoing. This, to a certain extent, restricts what people of either sex can enjoy and what they can achieve. A study conducted by a US university in 2016 found that the more boys and girls were familiar with the roles of princesses as depicted in Disney movies, the more they were aware of the gender stereotypes and the likelier they were to believe that there were things that girls should not do, that girls were not good at science and mathematics, and that girls were inherently averse to adventure.

In recent years, Disney has come up with a new depiction of roles played by females. Movies like Brave and Frozen all feature female protagonists who are brave and independent.

Gender division of labour

Gender division of labour is a product of gender stereotypes. Social cultures have a set of assumptions concerning the characters and capabilities of men and women, making us believe that different genders are suitable for different occupations. Such gender stereotypes have been created and confirmed by the mainstream education system and become a habitual assumption, limiting individuals' choices of life, characters and realization of potential.

Glass ceiling effect(玻璃天花效應)

The term ''glass ceiling effect'' is often used by feminists to describe the way in which unfair attitudes can stop a woman or a member of another group from getting a top job in a company, etc. although there are no official rules to prevent her or him from getting it.

The glass ceiling index published by The Economist evaluates women's situation in aspects like education, employment, salaries and representation in management of companies in 29 OECD countries. According to the 2017 index, Iceland is where women are best treated with a score of over 80 points. South Korea, with fewer than 30 points, is at the bottom of the list.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (pictured), the Democratic candidate, was defeated. In her concession speech she expressed the hope that one day someone would break the "highest, hardest glass ceiling" by becoming the first female US president.

No gender equality until 170 years later

In 2016, the World Economic Forum evaluated gender equality in different parts of the world in areas such as economic participation and opportunities, education, health and living and political participation, and published the Global Gender Gap Report. The report covers 144 countries. It concludes that it takes 170 years to achieve global gender equality in economic participation.

■Related concepts:

．gender role

．personality trait

．sex equality

．sexual discrimination

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