Exploring Gender Roles and Stereotypes: A Case Study of Sialkot

Abstract

Some societies like Pakistan have set stereotypes for specific gender and some responsibilities are associated with them like men are breadwinners while household responsibilities are associated with women which restricts the role of both genders. Gender stereotypes not only influence personal life decisions and career choices but also influence the individuals´ behavior in different situations like how a person should act in specific situation because of their gender. Now a days, social media is a new medium of interaction with mass audience, and it also promotes stereotypical content by showing men and women in their traditional roles set by society. Societal expectations restrict the individuals from adopting professions which are not aligned with their gender according to society. In such societies, mostly women are neglected but men also have to face discrimination like they are assumed to be strong, and they have to suppress their emotions in various situations to avoid criticism from stereotypical society and it has the bad impact over psychological and mental health. The aim of this research is to investigate that how gender stereotypes persist in Sialkot, Pakistan and also to explore that how much social media plays its role in promoting stereotypes and traditional roles of both men and women. Furthermore, to analyze and examine the influence of stereotypes on individual behaviors, personal life decisions and career choices. This quantitative study is based on survey methodology and data is collected using structured questionnaire based on 5-point Likert scale. This survey is uploaded on Google forms publicly and by applying purposive sampling technique on 119 students selected from UMT & USKT, Sialkot. The results have shown that 55.5% individuals agree or strongly agree that they have changed their behavior to fit in societal norms while 68.1% agree or strongly agree that they are discouraged if they choose career which doesn´t align with their gender. Moreover, 71.5% agree or strongly agree that society influence personal life decisions while 77.3% agree or strongly agree that social media promotes stereotypes.