Breaking Gender Stereotypes Essay - 2229 Words

â€Å"Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of.† This is a famous nursery rhyme that is recited by loving parents almost as soon as a child is brought home from the hospital. But does it serve as the backbone for gender stereotypes that permeate our society? Today women make up more than half of college graduates but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010) only 13.8% serve as engineers and 24.8% are working in computer and mathematics fields. The resounding question is why aren’t women choosing these occupations? On one side of the argument is the belief that it is a scientific fact that girls just aren’t as talented at math as boys, and on the other side is the belief that girls are†¦show more content†¦Over the past few decades, hundreds of studies have tried to explain why girls tend to shy away from mathematical related fields. The discussions focus on determining if gender differences in achievement are biological, social, or both (Bandura, et al., 2001). Zhu asserts (2007) that biological, psychological, and environmental variables all play a role in the gender gap in mathematics. Rochat (2001, p.133) agrees stating â€Å"cognition and cognitive development are inseparable from social adaptation.† From an early age, children’s activities are separated into â€Å"boy things† and â€Å"girl things.† This early socialization creates a culture that provides the background for performance in school (Gallagher, 1998). Boys tend to explore their surroundings and are considered to have aggressive, objective, and logical traits (Plante, et al., 2009). When a boy is climbing a tree, he is learning several concepts such as spatial visualization on how to navigate the different limbs, problem solving on how to get down once firmly established in an upside-down leg hang, risk-taking by going one branch higher than his best buddy, and gravity, when ultimately he has to take the fall because he got in over his head. Girls, on the other hand, tend to be rule-followers, pleasers, emotional, kind, and more concerned with relationships (Plante, et al., 2009). Spelke (2005) focused her research on cognitive differences to see if a scientific reason exists for theShow MoreRelated A Tale of Two Cities - Breaking Gender Stereotypes and Stereotyping854 Words   |  4 Pages nbsp;Breaking Gender Stereotypes in A Tale of Two Cities nbsp; The men and the women of A Tale of Two Cites are violent, loving, cowardly, brave, and ruthless.nbsp; Some people are weak and spoiled, while others are badly treated and vindictive.nbsp; Many contrasts between men and women can be found within this story.nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; A Tale of Two Cities clearly portrays very distinct divisions in the behavior of men.nbsp; The aristocrats, or upperclassmenRead MoreThe Dilemma Of Masculinity Versus Career Paths1702 Words   |  7 Pagesscientists, mathematicians, doctors, lawyers, etc. It s not just because the individual wants to go into that field. There are outside factors pushing him/her to subconsciously go into that field. 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