Why don’t more women work in the auto industry? If I had a dollar for every time I heard that question, I’d be very wealthy. I’ve got two words for you: “gender stereotypes.”
Imagine the experience of a baby girl.
Her parents dress her in pink. Her bedroom walls were probably painted pink – or the inference of a soft color – before she was even born.
If those same parents had a boy, everything would be blue. Why? At some point, society decided blue is “masculine” and pink is “feminine.” This isn’t a fact. It’s merely a social construct.
Social construct: a mechanism, phenomenon, or category created and developed by society; a perception of an individual, group, or idea that is ‘constructed’ through cultural or social practice.
In other words, people made it up. Pink isn’t girly. Blue isn’t manly. These colors don’t have any meaning unless you attach a label to them. Don’t believe me? Check out this quote from a sociology expert:
“Today, our society is quick to outfit male infants in blue and girls in pink, even applying these color-coded gender labels while a baby is in the womb. It is interesting to note that these color associations with gender have not always been what they are today. Up until the beginning of the 20th century, pink was actually more associated with boys, while blue was more associated with girls—illustrating how socially constructed these associations really are.”
It’s crazy how cultural norms can become so entrenched in our society. Despite a complete lack of evidence, nonetheless, gender roles are hard to escape. Even for those on the continuum.
Let’s revisit the babies
The girl plays with toys like baby dolls and kitchen sets. In a way, this is sexist. These toys imply women should stay at home while men go to work.
The boy plays with toy guns and action figures. In addition, his parents don’t teach him how to wash dishes or fold laundry. This implies boys don’t have to worry about chores. Someone else – maybe a woman such as his mother, wife, or girlfriend – will take care of it. If he rolls around in a pile of dirt, his parents would probably shrug it off and say, “Boys will be boys!”
Boys and girls end up in school, where they’re surrounded by children who were taught to behave in a certain way. If a child’s behavior doesn’t fit in with society’s gender roles, they could get bullied. Here’s a couple of examples. If a boy doesn’t participate in sports during P.E., his peers might make fun of him.
Even if a parent encouraged their children to be comfortable in who they are, it would be hard to survive the public school system without conforming to some degree. No one wants to play alone at recess. Most of us get so used to conformity that we never realize we’re acting in a way that feels unnatural.
It’s no wonder many women don’t want their hands dirty.
Choosing to work on cars is a radical act. I provide auto awareness workshops in NYC and throughout the country. Most of the women I meet have never opened the hood of their car.
This isn’t the case for men. Many boys spent time with their father in the garage, or ‘tinkering” on engines. My dad took me to his auto shop when I was a kid. I’m so glad he did. It taught me to be strong, resourceful, and self-sufficient.
Gender roles aren’t good for our kids. We’re raising little girls to believe they need a man to help them. This is a false belief needs to be squashed. Want to educate and empower the women in your professional network? G