So l i know this is kind of a big stretch but I was just thinking about how this effect can be applied to society's perception of women. Though it is socially unacceptable to view a female as inferior because of her sex (at least in the United States) I wonder if certain people unconsciously and unknowingly treat women as lesser people because of attitudes of the past. Even though they may not be aware of it I think this idea has influenced the way that some individuals treat and view women. Because certain people can not delete this idea from their head it hinders their ability to treat females as equals. The thought that women are inferior to men constantly lingers in the background, posing the question: Well what if it is true? What if?........
Friday, December 4, 2009
I was reading about the Pygmalion effect in my Psychology class. Rosenthal suspected that when teachers are given data concerning information about a students I.Q. it can create certain expectancies within the teacher about the student's potential, "whether strong or weak, the teacher might unknowingly behave in ways that subtly encourage or facilitate the performance of students seen as more likely to succeed." (Hock 95). The teacher acts this way because he or she constantly has that knowledge looming in the back of their minds, causing them to unintentionally be biased.
So l i know this is kind of a big stretch but I was just thinking about how this effect can be applied to society's perception of women. Though it is socially unacceptable to view a female as inferior because of her sex (at least in the United States) I wonder if certain people unconsciously and unknowingly treat women as lesser people because of attitudes of the past. Even though they may not be aware of it I think this idea has influenced the way that some individuals treat and view women. Because certain people can not delete this idea from their head it hinders their ability to treat females as equals. The thought that women are inferior to men constantly lingers in the background, posing the question: Well what if it is true? What if?........
So l i know this is kind of a big stretch but I was just thinking about how this effect can be applied to society's perception of women. Though it is socially unacceptable to view a female as inferior because of her sex (at least in the United States) I wonder if certain people unconsciously and unknowingly treat women as lesser people because of attitudes of the past. Even though they may not be aware of it I think this idea has influenced the way that some individuals treat and view women. Because certain people can not delete this idea from their head it hinders their ability to treat females as equals. The thought that women are inferior to men constantly lingers in the background, posing the question: Well what if it is true? What if?........
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I think you make a very valid point. However, I would also like to point out that many men treat women differently not due to a perception of inferiority, but rather due to a perception of the inherent differences between the sexes. There are fundamental, undeniable physiological differences between men and women, and whether we realize it or not, we take this in to consideration when interacting with the opposite sex. So, I think your claim is entirely correct, but I think we must keep in mind the large role that gender differences can play.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post that points out a main reason why it has been so hard to truly change women's status in society, as well as the status of other marginalized groups. A lot of the prejudices people have are unconsciously reinforced their entire lives, in extremely subtle ways. Gender roles are constantly reinforced from a young age, in seemingly harmless ways such as by the toys that children are expected to play with, and even simply the colors that parent's choose to decorate their children's room with. For example, a family friend of mine since childhood loved to play with my barbies, and his parents were very upset when my mom gave him his own barbie for Christmas. Although they did not realize it, they were probably sending a very strong message to their son through their anger over this gift.
ReplyDeleteIt scares me to think that some of my beliefs have been conditioned by my external influences, and might be a reflection of other peoples opinions verses my own. I think that Rousseau would say that this is one of the reasons that he has such an issue with society, because societal influences jeopardize a persons ability to truly be themselves. This is supported by his statement when he says that "when a man enters into a society he is transformed, turned from a man into a citizen whose self is defined by participation rather than independence" (Solomon 19).
ReplyDeleteThis post is very interesting and I completely agree that this thought is a lingering idea that is not always addressed by society. However, I don't think that men are the only ones that treat women in a sometimes inferior way. Sometimes I feel that women realize their own stereotypes and instead of it being a natural difference between men and women, some women impose them artificially. For example, the whole damsel in distress act when women act as if they are not able to accomplish anything without the help of the opposite sex. In fact they are fully capable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying in this post. I think that since the latest period of the feminist movement in America though that this idea of women being inferior. Lately there have been many female figures in authority positions in this country. I think that there are still some boundaries to cross especially with salary gaps between what men make and women make. I think also that Mary Claire is right when she says that some women put themselves in a position of inferiority. I think as times has passed people will start to recognize the important role women play in our society.
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