Breaking Your Perceived Gender Stereotype

by Brian Freedman

Perception is everything, especially in a culture like America's, where gender roles are so stringently adhered to, and where any deviation from the perceived norm, even in matters of professional occupation and leisure-time activities, is read into as a bold personal statement. Greg Focker, the male nurse in the film "Meet The Parents," is the same thing in this world as Danica Patrick the race-car driver: A perceived aberration, an uncomfortable deviation from the norm, and a de facto statement on the nature of our contemporary American culture and how far we still have to go when it comes to gender relations and roles.

This, of course, trickles down to (or, perhaps more appropriately, trickles up from) the world of higher education. Take a look into any elementary-education classroom and count the number of men in there: Chances are you will see precious few men. In fact, though we like to think of ourselves as enlightened early-21st century Americans, the ugly truth is that ours is still a shockingly divided society, especially when it comes to gender and professional endeavors. According to a study conducted by American University, "Men comprise 99% of corporate officers in America's 500 largest companies, but are only 16% of all elementary school teachers, and 7% of nurses" (www.american.edu). Is this because only men are capable of working at the highest levels of corporate America? Because only women are sensitive enough to effectively educate America's youth? Or is it, rather, because of nothing more and nothing less than residual gender biases and stereotypes left over from times gone so far by that they are no longer relevant?

Isn't it grand?

Do What You Love

Don't let the assumptions heaped on you by a society at large that knows as little about you as they do about anyone else affect your decisions when it comes to professional pursuits. Because the fact is that most people work at their careers for 35 years or more, and that's an awfully long time to be stuck doing something you don't necessarily like, but which you got into because it's what was expected of you as a man or a woman.

Just as studies have shown that employees tend to be most productive when they're happy, and when they get to work in comfortable, friendly environments, so, too, are people more productive when they spend their working hours doing something they enjoy. So follow your own desires when choosing what to specialize in. You'll be glad you did.

Just make sure you go into it with an open mind. No one, after all, likes to feel like the odd-man (or woman) out, and being one of the few members of your gender in a classroom filled with the opposite sex can be intimidating. It will also lead to work in a field in which the same, or similar, dynamics persist. So if you don't think you'll be able to handle this, get out and change career paths while you still can. Of course, if something as minor as there being too many men or women in a classroom is enough to dissuade you from pursuing your professional goals, then maybe you weren't terribly serious about it in the first place.

Don't Be Bullied

Don't let anyone tell you what you should or should not do. History is full of people who went against the professional grain and excelled in ways that few people ever did before them: Marie Curie made astounding strides in the field of chemistry, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize; Annika Sorenstam, the professional golfer, has been responsible for pushing even the men on the professional tour to greater heights; and, again in the field of education, before Margaret Spellings became Secretary of Education, the six preceding her were men. Would all of these people have excelled professionally if they hadn't pursued what they loved? And how different would the world be today had they not done what they did so well?

Really, gender bias is no different from racial or ethnic bias: It is simply a way to keep people hemmed in. And in the end, it is just as destructive. Because no matter what people look like, no matter what gender they are, or what religion, race, or ethnicity, we all deserve the chance to excel both in school and in the professional world. So buck the trend. Do what you love. The rest will fall into place. And the world will likely be a better place because of it.

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