Female Stereotyping

In an age where we are seeing more women climb the economic ladder to success, many would like to believe that this movement would be encouraged and supported. Sadly, this isn’t always the case.

Ambitious women are still faced with a bombardment of stereotypes which quite frankly, need to be put out with the bins. “She’s an ice queen,” “she’s single and lonely… probably has 10 cats at home,” “she’s too masculine,” “she’s such a dolly,” “she’s bossy and tough,” “she’s one of the boys,” “she’s too emotional”. Unfortunately, many women will have heard one of these phrases or a phrase similar at some point in their lives in regards to their work ethic, career goals or progression.

According to Forbes, “while male leaders are allowed to have complex personalities, powerful women are often summed up by hackneyed stereotypes that undermine them and their power.” But why does this happen and still continue to happen? According to Olivia Fox Cabane, a lecturer at Harvard University, “the strong perception that powerful women are intimidating to men and will need to sacrifice their personal lives may stop women from going after power. Even those women who aren’t interested in marrying, face harsh judgments. Men get to be “bachelors” while women are reduced to “spinsters” and “old-maids.”

Women are penalised in the workplace for succeeding and climbing the career ladder, as much as they are for choosing to start a family and ‘abandoning’ their careers. We can’t win. They are told that they aren’t prioritising their families and so are made to feel guilty for “having it all”. If single, they are criticised for “putting their career first” – which holds more negative connotations than positive. They are constantly told “you should find a nice man, you work too hard, you’re going to end up alone,” whereas men get congratulated for their drive, success and independence. They get praised for taking extended parental leave, whereas women are quietly judged for even taking statutory leave. A high flying bachelor about town is applauded, a career-driven ‘spinster’ is questioned. “But doesn’t she want a family?” If men can have a family and a successful career, why can’t a woman? Why does society look down on independent females striving for independence? It has only been in the last 50 years that women have been allowed to open their own bank accounts and own property. Shouldn’t we be encouraging independence as opposed to labelling it with negative stereotypes? 

If we want to see change, we must be the change.

Below are some ways to stop female stereotyping:

⭐️ Give credit where credit is due

According to IMD, whenever women are working with men on male gender-typed tasks, men are more likely to be credited for joint successes and women are more likely to be blamed for joint failures. Be mindful of who has done what. Celebrate each member who has succeeded and don’t rely on your bias.

⭐️ Drop stereotypical terminologies 

Don’t rely on gender stereotypical terms when describing a male or female colleague. Be mindful that if you were to describe a female CEO who had the same traits as a male CEO as cold or aggressive, would you use those same terms to describe the male CEO?

⭐️ Be an ally

If you see or hear someone using stereotypical terms when describing a colleague (be it male or female), try and put a stop to it by explaining the negative connotations that are associated with those terms. If you see a woman speak up, listen and support – especially in a male dominated environment. 

Clips & Videos 

How generational stereotypes hold us back at work | Leah Georges

How to avoid gender stereotypes: Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jordan at TEDxZurich

The Likability Dilemma for Women Leaders | Robin Hauser | TEDxMarin

The Surprising Solution to Workplace Diversity | Arwa Mahdawi | TEDxHamburg

Stereotyping Gender — How Is This Still A Thing? | Linda Curika | TEDxRiga

Articles & Books 

The 10 Worst Stereotypes About Powerful Women – Forbes

6 Female Stereotypes We Hate. Be Honest, Does Your Guy Buy Into Any of Them? – Glamour

The sexist myths that won’t die – BBC

Smashing Stereotypes: How to Get Ahead When You’re the Only ____ in the Room

The Spectrum of Sex: The Science of Male, Female, and Intersex