CONFRONTING
YOUR STEREOTYPES
Although
we might think that we have broken free of
gender-stereotyping, it is only when we pinpoint
our ideas and expectations about male and female behaviour that
our true views become apparent. This exercise will help
you and your partner to examine your deep-seated
attitudes to gender and to explore your potential
outside the limitations of gender-stereotyping. You will need
some paper and two pens.
One
Each take a piece of paper and a pen. Now complete the following
statements,
listing three facets of behaviour for each:
Men normally...
Women normally...
Men don't normally...
Women don't normally...
I like men who ...
I like women who ...
I dislike men who ...
I dislike women who ...
Ideally, men should ...
Ideally, women should ...
Two
Now go through these statements carefully with your partner
and discuss what you have each put and why. How similar are
your responses? Do you broadly agree or disagree in your
attitudes? What did you learn about yourself? Do either of you
feel that the exercise has revealed any surprising prejudices?
Three
Analyze any ways in which your views might have caused discord
within your relationship. How can you modify your expectations
so that you can live more harmoniously together? Encourage
each other to develop in ways that open up more options within
the relationship, disregarding gender stereotypes.
