Transition

Gender stereotypes - a culture shock?

If you have studied in a co-ed school, interacting with people of the opposite gender may seem intuitive and more natural. Unfortunately, this intuitive interaction might elude those whose formative years were spent around those of the same gender.

As the journey of single-gender learning reaches its inevitable end when one enters a tertiary education institution, one might be taken aback simply by the behaviour of those of the opposite gender. No, I am not referring to you brother or father, I mean your peers.

Puberty occurs in boys and girls in their early teenage years and in our context, Secondary school. However, those from single-gender Secondary schools (be it IP programme or JAE) have developed in an environment surrounded by those who develop in somewhat similar, if not, identical ways. The flabbergasting transition from seeing boys shorter than you in Primary school and Kindergarten to craning your neck upwards just to speak to these very same boys in Junior College would certainly be a little overwhelming.

Formerly a Nanyang Girl, I am no stranger to these culture shocks. On the first day of school, I was slightly unnerved and taken aback by the much deeper tones of the boys in class during flag raising. It was as though I was standing among the bass choir section. Although this change in environment was overcome in a few days, there were some lingering and deep-rooted stereotypes I had of boys which took months to surmount. Common stereotypes that girls (including myself) have of boys include: severe body odour, unhygienic, chauvinistic, fearless and lastly, atrocious handwriting.

However, from seeing the boys in class conducting daily wipe-downs to handwriting neater than mine, these were largely proven wrong in my first few months as a JC1 student as my daily interactions with boys in class brought me out of my female-only hermit hole. Afterall, some boys in my class are more afraid of critters than I am. The negative stereotypes I had towards boys have diminished and my impression of them has also taken a turn for the better. Regardless of gender, every individual is unique. From hygiene levels to the neatness of handwriting, judging these details about an individual based on their gender is extremely parochial and narrow-minded. Casting aside the formerly judgemental side of me, my perspectives have widened and boys are certainly not as rowdy as I thought they would be.

Needless to say, gender stereotypes go both ways. Boys, especially those from all-boys schools certainly have also harboured stereotypes towards their female peers and might also be taken aback by reality when they reach tertiary education.

Some boys I spoke to also shared some stereotypes they have towards girls, which made me realise that gender stereotypes were prevalent and far too common.

Some common stereotypes I heard were of girls being “cliquey” and very “gossipy”. I mean, it wouldn’t be surprising that people picked up on these stereotypes after seeing them actively portrayed in so many iconic movies, from Mean Girls to Clueless.

However, these movies often portray overly exaggerated behaviour among girls, manifesting these stereotypes in society.

In Hwa Chong, friend groups of mixed genders are a common sight and some of us might even have first hand experience of “spilling the tea” with your male friends!

Another odd stereotype gathered from my interviews include: girls are always the ones rejecting guys and the latter would always be hurt. Well, I would like to believe that society has conditioned us into assuming that guys always make the first move. Regardless of gender, I believe that the sourness of rejection is never a palatable one and in the 21st century, the tables could be turned as girls are becoming increasingly proactive.

Overall, bearing stereotypes against another group of individuals is inevitably ingrained in human nature (our forefathers had to do it to ensure the safety of their tribe). That being said, it is undeniably difficult to eliminate and completely eradicate stereotypes as they often involve a complete change in attitude and are usually rooted in emotion. Nevertheless, that should not stop us from taking note of the stereotypes we exhibit or harbour towards others, taking steps to actively question our biases and ultimately work on reducing them, by perhaps, interacting with and understanding others. Afterall, your peers in the workforce would consist of individuals of various genders and that is reality. You can’t run far from reality, can you?

Written by: Cheryl Chan (21S74)

Edited by: Low Le Shyan (21S74)