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Gender Equality pp 1–9Cite as

Gender Stereotypes

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Sex role stereotypes

Definition

“Gender stereotypes are preconceived ideas whereby males and females are arbitrarily assigned characteristics and roles determined and limited by their sex” (Council of Europe, Gender Equality Commission 2015. Gender Equality Glossary: 10).

Introduction

Stereotypes have been defined in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most simple definition is the one offered by Peter Schneider, who writes that “stereotypes are qualities perceived to be associated with particular groups or categories of people” (2005: 24). They distinguish a particular group from others by describing differences among them. Gender stereotypes are beliefs about the characteristics or attributes of men and women, boys and girls. Since there are differences between women and men, stereotypes help us to anticipate and respond to these differences rather than having to figure them out in every single interaction, thereby saving time and energy. They thus function as a kind of...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India

    Shubhangi Vaidya

Authors
  1. Shubhangi Vaidya
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shubhangi Vaidya .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences FTZ-ALS, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Ctr Neurosci & Cell Biology, 1 Floor, Univ Coimbra, Edf Fac Medicina, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Chhabi Kumar

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Vaidya, S. (2019). Gender Stereotypes. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Gender Equality. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_27-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_27-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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