Defying Stereotypes A Look At Gender Relations - 1689 Words

Defying Stereotypes: A Look at Gender Relations in the Classroom Cecilia Ridgway, in â€Å"Framed by Gender: How Gender Inequality Persists in the Modern World,† holds that gender exists as an organizing social force. We value certain stereotypes of how people of a certain gender should act and incorporate these expectations into our social relations. Men, Ridgeway explains, are typically viewed as having more â€Å"competence, assertiveness, confidence, independence, forcefulness, and dominance† (Ridgeway, 2011) in social relations. Women, on the other hand, are viewed as valuing â€Å"emotional expressiveness, nurturance, interpersonal sensitivity, kindness, and responsiveness† (Ridgeway, 2011). According to Ridgeway, these gender stereotypes are†¦show more content†¦In doing so, both genders are acting out the social attributes encouraged by gender stereotypes. She explains that the extent to which gender stereotypes impact the faces people assume rel ies on â€Å"gender’s salience, or relevance for them, given the nature of the situation† (Ridgeway, 2011). Gender stereotypes might prove salient when hiring CEOs, for example, but what about in a different setting? Through my study, I sought to understand the salience of gender in the college classroom. I observed one session of an Introduction to Sociology class at Colby College in Waterville, ME. The class had thirteen females and eleven males. The professor was female. I paid close attention to two things: first, how the students prefaced their comments during the class discussion. I expected females to qualify their comments more often by saying â€Å"I think,† or â€Å"In my opinion.† These statements seem less assertive and more fulfilling of gender stereotypes. Secondly, I noted how frequently females refuted statements made by males. This shows an assertiveness that also conflicts with gender stereotypes. The topic of the class discussion was Mi lton Friedman’s 1980 â€Å"Power of the Market† lecture. The discussion began, surprisingly, rather female dominated. A male responded to the professor’s initial question concerning Friedman, but three females offered subsequent