EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 1

Effects of Gender Roles on Men and Women

Josie Reyes, Gabriela Chub, Eden Perez, Dora Hob, Hesmir Cawich

Mrs. Xunan Quetzal

University of Belize
EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 2

Gender roles, or sex roles, are strict behaviours that are assigned to each sex and are

expected from each. These behaviours vary from how we act, speak, dress and carry out our

lives based on our assigned gender. Identifying with a specific gender can be traced way back to

Sigmund Freud’s third stage of development. In this stage boys start to identify with their father

and girls with their mothers. In looking back we find that the role of women has changed.

They’ve taken on so much more in addition to the traditional and historic roles of helpmate and

mother. Today they have moved into every area of social and business life. From the laced-up,

covered up, buttoned down clothing to non gender conforming clothing. Men’s traditional roles

have gone through an evolution as well. In the past was men had to work outside the home and

support the family financially but to be mostly hands-off on the everyday aspects of child raising.

Men kept their emotions in check and were taught not to show weakness in order to be manly.

Now it has become more common to see stay at home dads who are caring and soft and working

moms. The viewpoint of set gender identities and set gender roles has changed over the years.

Millennials now don't conform to gender roles because they either want the freedom to express

themselves or are aware of the consequences that gender roles have put on society. There are

now gender non-conforming individuals and even transgender individuals that experinces the

lingering effect of harsh gender roles.

However, while the influence of gender roles might be fading, a lingering mentality of

gender roles still affects society. This mentality can then have harsh effects on grown adults and

the children that are being raised. Raising children in societies that adhere to rigid gender roles,

with fixed ideas about what should be considered “masculine” and “feminine,” can actually be

detrimental to their physical and mental health. Both boys and girls can change their behavior in

potentially harmful ways in order to adhere to gender norms. This then doesn't only affect kids
EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 3

but adults of all backgrounds as well. Enforcing gender roles on men and women can have

harmful effects and this mentality of stereotyping needs to change for society to evolve into

something better.

The effects of gender roles on men raises a psychological condition whereby stereotypical

expectation, attitude and ideologies of masculinity limit men’s well-being as well as human

potential. Psychologists studying gender roles often encourage parents to have a gender-free

approach when helping their children develop in society. Boys at a young age are taught to be

tough, courageous and be “their own man” (Rich, 2018). When a boy is upset and cries, he is told

to “stop acting like a girl” or “man up”. With fear of being ridiculed by others, most boys grow up

learning to avoid showing vulnerability and expressing emotion. According to O’Neil (2001), men

are traditionally pressured to accepted roles that steer them towards becoming successful and

independent, while dogging character traits that would be considered feminine. Additionally, there

are many researches and theories that are now focusing on gender role conflict that men are facing

as a result of traditional social expectation. In a study by the American Journal of Men’s Health

(2015), four researchers examined “a proposed relation between adherence to masculine norms

and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)” (Green, Kearns, Ledoux, & Addis, 2015). The researchers’

question “How norms of masculinity produce these negative outcomes?” (Green, Kearns, Ledoux,

& Addis, 2015). To carry out this experiment, participants (912 males) were recruited from two

universities. They were assigned two types of questionnaires, “The Deliberate self-harm Inventory

(DSHI) and The conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI)” (Green, Kearns, Ledoux, &

Addis, 2015). The DSHI, was designed to measure and identify methods of self-harm, and the

CMNI to assess the degree to which individuals endorse masculine norms. The result from the

study indicated that norms of masculinity (which include dominance, anti-femininity, self-reliance
EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 4

and emotional control) may be associated not only with NSSI but “specific methods” men may

use to harm themselves (Green, Kearns, Ledoux, & Addis, 2015). Similarly, the study of Journal

Counselling Psychology (1969), investigated the effects of gender role conflict on college men’s

“psychological well-being, substance usage, and attitudes toward psychological help-seeking”

(Blazina & Watkins, 1996). The researcher recruited 148 male undergraduate students from the

same college. These participants were examined using the Gender role conflict scale developed by

O’Neil as well as other types of scales used to measure the different areas of the study. The study

found that variables of masculinity such as success, power and competition was significantly

related to increase in alcohol consumption, anger-issues and negativity towards helping-seeking.

It also showed overly high levels of depression and anxiety in men who endorse the traditional

social masculine ideology. In comparison, both studies showed that men who are highly pressured

by their gender role and fear being mocked for behaviour not considered “masculine”, are likely

to release the stress from their repression using negative actions. As Freud stated, we must “find

a means of undoing the renunciation and retrieving what was lost” (Rich, 2018). Therefore, men

release their tension through self-harm. Those commonly practiced by men include burning

oneself, self-hitting, banging one’s head against the wall, punching the wall or object and engaging

in risky behaviour. Moreover, the knowledge gained from these findings can help modern society

prevent the narrow gender definition placed on men. This can also prevent fathers from

transmitting those narrow gender norms and destructive methods of releasing tension to their

children (the future generation). Overall, a person’s gender should not limit them and each

individual should be free to act authentically of their feelings and desires.

Society stereotypes gender based on their traits, capabilities and how they should behave

according to their biological sex. Studies conducted with male and female therapists depicted
EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 5

that stereotypically the male traits are more acceptable than those feminine. Men who have

health issues, particularly mental problems are portrayed as being deep thinkers or geniuses,

while females with mental illnesses are seen as overreacting or crazy. “Women endure higher

rates of physical and mental diseases than men at all ages and in all regions of the world”

(Macintyre et al., 1996; Austad, 2006; Seedat et al., 2009). The way gender stereotypes influence

mental health diagnosis and treatment is a product of our culture. Bias plays a big role in this too

because it can be in favor of either males or females. “Because women are more often caregivers

than men, their risk of exposure to such strain is higher, and this impacts their health” (Repetti et

al., 1989; Eagly et al., 2000; Son et al., 2007). Although society views females as caregivers and

emotional they are also viewed as more impacted with mental disorders. As though they are

more likely to have a faster development of the disorder. It is important that gender stereotypes

be distinguished from true sex or biologically based and gender shaped by environment in order

to differentiate the extent of these disorders. “The environment as well as environmental

variations are known to affect respectively phenotypes (individual’s physical stable

characteristics) and gene expression—the moment-by-moment translation of genes into RNA,

proteins and hormones, allowing rapid adaptation to changing conditions” (Dunn and Plomin,

1990; Jaenisch and Bird, 2003; DeWitt and Scheiner, 2004). Women in the military are also

stereotyped because women in society are classified as the lower gender. Some have seeked for

mental health care while in the army and have been discriminated but when men seek mental

health assistance it is something normal in society because they are the ones that go to war.

When females seek mental health they are stigmatized as weak and inferior unlike for men its

seen as a norm for them to seek for medical assistance.

EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 6

Throughout the history of society, women as well as men are given specific roles to play.

From a young age women are given dolls to play, encouraged to dress feminine and praised for

their good looks. While in contrast, men are given guns, and tools to play and encouraged to be

strong and powerful. Society has placed women in a constricted box labelled with rules and

norms she is to abided by, failing to abide by these roles and dare to step out of the box social

conflict ensue. The effects of gender roles have on women has been detrimental over the

decades, one such detrimental mental effect is SAD - Social Anxiety Disorder.

According to Howell, A. N., & Weeks, J. W. (2017) Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is

characterized by a marked fear of social evaluation or humiliation in social situations (American

Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). In hypothesizing why gender roles causes a detrimental

effect on women Howell & Weeks (2017) claim that it could be due to certain socio-cultural

fostered beliefs about self in relation to one’s social environment are inevitably shaped by

sociocultural practices and values, such as gender roles and the degree to which specific aspects

of one’s gender are being evaluated (e.g. physical attractiveness). For example, Westernized

cultures tend to promote the notion that socially successful women are warm in casual interactive

situations, but more impersonal and assertive in professional situations. However, in a male

environment woman who are assertive and open-minded might be considered cold and

calculated. In addition, the over emphasis on beauty ideal by the media is a double-sided sword

for women. Physical attraction may enhance self-confidence but may have repercussions such as

being excluded by other women.

All in all, gender roles have stuck onto in society over a long time throughout history.

However, it can clearly be seen how enforcing these gender roles end up creating more

inequality and harm men and women individually. Having that lack of freedom to express
EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 7

yourself and instead being told how to conduct yourself causes much anxiety and dissatisfaction

in one’s life. That is why it is important to reanalyze the way society is raising children and how

we as a society expect of each sex. In this manner all the effects of enforcing gender roles will

then be reduced and hopefully eradicated.

EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 8

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

(5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Blazina, C., & Watkins, E. C. (1996, Agust). MASCULINE GENDER ROLE CONFLICT:

EFFECTS ON COLLEGE MEN'S. Retrieved July 04, 2019, from EscoHost:

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278498/m2/1/high_res_d/1002727194-

blazina.pdf

Green, J. D., Kearns, J. C., Ledoux, A. M., & Addis, M. E. (2015, December 30). The

Association Between Masculinity and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury. Retrieved July 04, 2019,

from American Journal Of Men's Health:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1557988315624508

Howell, A. N., & Weeks, J. W. (2017). Effects of gender role self-discrepancies and

Self-perceived attractiveness on social anxiety for women across social situations. Anxiety,

Stress & Coping, 30(1), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2016.1171852

Rich, J. D. (2018, March 21). Strict Gender Roles Hurt Men, Too. Retrieved July 04, 2019, from

Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-

purpose/201803/strict-gender-roles-hurt-men-too-0

Shepard, W. D. (2001, August). MASCULINE GENDER ROLE CONFLICT AND

PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HETEROSEXUAL

AND GAY MEN. Retrieved July 04, 2019, from Semantic Scholar:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7d19/22c76d480f5855c2ad9952623969240c82a8.pdf
EFFECTS OF ENFORCING GENDER ROLES ON MEN AND WOMEN 9

Skopp, N. A. (2018, October 15). Do Gender Stereotypes Influence Mental Health Diagnosis and

Treatment in the Military? Retrieved from https://www.pdhealth.mil/news/do-gender-

stereotypes-influence-mental-health-diagnosis-and-treatment-military

Weingarten, E. (2015, January 12). How To Shake Up Gender Norms. In Time. Retrieved from

https://time.com/3672297/future-gender-norms/