HAPPY SCHOOL
PROJECT FILE
SUBJECT- ENGLISH
CORE (ALS PROJECT)
Topic : ways to
change the
mindset of people
towards gender
bias
Submitted to- Mrs. Neeti Sachdeva Submitted by- Nipun Varshneya
ACKNOWLEGMENT
I would like to state that this project is my original work and
would like to thank all who have whole heartedly extended
their corporation and guidance for making it possible for me to
complete the project on time
My sincere gratitude to my subject teacher Mrs. Neeti Sachdeva
for her unconditional support and valuable guidance. I would
also like to thank my family members and friends for their
corporation and help
CERTIFICATE
TOPIC
WAYS TO
CHANGE
NMINDSET OF
PEOPLE
TOWARDS
GENDER BIAS
INDEX PAGE NO.
• OBJECTIVE 6
• REFLECTION 7
• ACTIONJ PLAN 8
• PROJECT REPORT (800-1000 WORDS) 9-14
• QUESTINARE 15
• PHOTOGRAPHS 16-17
• BIBLIOGRAPGHY/SOURCE 18
My first objective is to learn that why
our tradition is fading away.
The second objective is to find out
that do people know about the real
meaning of our tradition or they are
just thinking that following the
tradition which has been there for
1000 of years is boring and lame.
Action plan
For the project entitled “ways to
change the mindset of people
towards gender bias” . First of all I
deeply studies the topic from
different sources. Then I took
interview of my friends to know the
perception. I prepared questions for
the interview to understand the
views of different people and on the
basis of their responses along with
my own views I prepared the
project report. While preparing
questions I took care that questions
must be concentrated on the topic
and fulfill my objective of doing this
project
“Life is not fair; get used to it.” The famous first rule of Bill
Gates’s “11 rules you will never learn in school” resonates with
everybody, but probably more with women than men. According to
the Global Gender Gap Index, 108 years are needed to close the
global gender gap. While classical economic models predict that
discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as gender should
naturally disappear thanks to competition, reality seems to tell a
different story.
The lack of women in male-dominated and high-paying industries
such as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
s
is often cited as a critical factor behind the gender gap. Even
though girls perform as well as boys in math and science
standardized tests at school, fewer women consider a professional
career in these fields. Women seem to face different hurdles that
have little to do with their abilities. Gender stereotypes are one
of them.
While men are generally portrayed as having agency characteristics
such as competence, achievement-orientation, inclination to take
charge, autonomy and rationality, women are associated with
communal characteristics such as concern for others, affiliation
tendencies, deference and emotional sensitivity. These
characteristics are not only different, they tend to be
oppositional: lay people on average believe that men should not be
excessively warm (communal) and that women should not be
excessively dominant (agency). Research on these generalizations
has been extensive and shows they are consistent across culture,
time and context.
Stereotypes often serve as shortcuts for forming impressions of
people and guide our decisions, without people being completely
aware of it. Gender preconceptions have important consequences
for the workplace. Here are some examples:
• No credit where credit is due
Whenever women are working with men on male gender-typed
tasks, men are more likely to be credited for joint successes and
women are more likely to be blamed for joint failures. These
negative performance expectations can only be overturned when
the woman’s individual contribution is unquestionable, or her task
competence is very high.
• Men are promoted on potential, women are promoted for
proven performance
Research shows that women are held to stricter standards for
promotion: promoted women have higher performance ratings than
promoted men, and performance ratings are more strongly related
to promotions for women than for men.
• The backlash effect: competent but bossy and unlikeable
When women counter their stereotype and break expectations
about how they “should” behave, they pay the cost: dominant
women are perceived as less likeable and less hireable than men. A
2016 survey of more than 30,000 employees found that women
who negotiated for promotions were 30% more likely than men to
be labelled intimidating, bossy or aggressive.
When women conform to gender stereotypes (e.g. by showing
emotional sensitivity and concern for others), they are likely to be
perceived as less competent. But, if they defy these stereotypes
and behave “like a man” (e.g. by showing dominance, ambition and
rationality), they will be penalized by a backlash effect. Successful
women in male gender-typed fields are well aware of this effect.
Speaking at the American Economic Association’s annual meeting in
January, Susan Athey, a world-renowned economist, said “I spent
all my time hoping that no one would remember I was female.”
Men, too, can be penalized when they do not conform to these
gender stereotypes. A recent study found that the gender of the
initial role occupant (a microcredit loan manager in this case) was
enough to influence the authority enjoyed by future individuals in
that role. In other words, when a borrower was paired with a
female manager, he/she gender-typed the role as a female-typed
role and was less compliant than if he/she was initially paired with
a male manager. This bias remains even after being subsequently
managed by the other gender (ie a male manager in our example).
Stereotypes harm us all. They are entrenched beliefs perpetuated
by both men and women, present in our minds since childhood.
Anybody can easily fall into this trap. Curious? You can test your
unconscious association between gender and science/arts by taking
the Gender-Career Implicit Association Test. Seventy percent of
people who took this test across 34 countries associated science as
being more male than female.
Unfortunately, anti-discrimination legislation, codes of conduct,
diversity criteria or legal actions can’t fight this more subtle form
of discrimination. You can’t sue your boss for consciously or
unconsciously believing that you don’t have what it takes to
succeed.
The ball is in our court Raising awareness of these challenges alone
is insufficient. To change mindsets, women should do three things:
1. Learn – because knowledge is power
Have you ever had the feeling of having been ripped off by your
repair shop? If yes, you are not alone. A research paper found
that auto-repair shops alter their price quotes depending on how
informed callers appear to be about prices. When callers signaled
that they had no idea about what the repair should cost, women
were quoted a higher price than men. But these gender differences
disappeared when a benchmark price was indicated.
This example illustrates how a single piece of information could
help reduce any gender-related price discrimination (and might also
start changing car mechanics’ expectations about women).
Interestingly, the study also found that repair shops were more
likely to offer a lower price if asked by a woman than by a man.
So, informed women ended up having an advantage over men.
The #SheCANics movement is a powerful example of empowering
women through awareness, education and support.
2. Move confidently into male-dominated areas and speak up
Let’s be honest: stereotypes won’t disappear unless people
understand they are harmful. Women in male-dominated
environments can help raise awareness. Role models play a crucial
role in promoting gender equality and fighting gender stereotypes
(e.g. Billie Jean King in sport, Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In
initiative and the #banbossy campaign). Even advertisers are
moving into this space and are starting to actively address women
(eg Gillette’s ad “The Best Men Can Be” or Serena
Williams’ Bumble commercial).
3. Prepare to react
Women should anticipate and prepare to react to inappropriate or
discriminating comments. For example, when the American
celebrity Lauren Conrad was asked on radio “What is your favorite
position?”, she briefly paused and replied “CEO”.
While such questions or comments were acceptable in the past, it
is our role today to make sure they will no longer be tolerated.
Those perpetuating gender stereotypes should bear the
consequences of such behaviour. A recent example is Martin
Solveig’s apology after making a sexist comment during the Ballon
d’Or ceremony. We must accept that biases exist, own them and
retrain our brains to overcome them. Life might not be fair, but
we can do something about it.
Questionare
➢ In what ways can you challenge thr existing gender stereotypes?
➢ Why do you think that gender bias still occurs in our community?
➢ Why is gfenhder equality important?
➢ Is gender equality a concer for men?
➢ What is gender mainstreaming?
➢ What are the factors that influence gender bias in our
community?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Bibliography
• Class 12th students
• www.unfpa.org.com
• www.diva-portal.org
• Www.forum.org
