LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:2 February 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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Gender Stereotypes in the Higher Educational Institutions of
Bihar and Jharkhand: Impact on Career Choices for Women

Debraj Gogoi, Research Scholar, Dheeraj Kumar, Research Associate
Indrajeet Jyoti, Research Scholar and Sweta Sinha, Associate Professor

Abstract

Gender discrimination is not just encoded in language and linguistic codes but in other modes of expression like color choices in art forms and shapes and sizes of symbols creating and contextualizing gender stereotypes in social minds. Such stereotypes result in limited opportunities for women in the professional domains, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Such prevailing stereotypes not only limit professional prospects for women but also condition them into self-doubt owing to the ‘normalization’ of such a discriminatory mindset as a social reality. Such conditioning results from consistent exposure to subtle social cues and practices that impact their cognition, leading to them not choosing or opting out of STEM fields. This study investigates the socio-cognitive effects of gender stereotypes in the linguistic landscape (LL) of twelve higher education institutions in Bihar and Jharkhand and its impact on the balance of opportunities for women. Content analysis of the photographs suggests that the LL in the institutions is gendered, which also strongly impacts the attitude, both male and female, about career choices. As gender-based disparities lead to unevenness in society, the study highlights the need to change the social reality through subtle changes in the linguistic landscape, especially within educational institutions.

Keywords: Gender Stereotypes, Higher Educational Institutions, Bihar and Jharkhand, Culture and cognition, culture and education, gender discrimination, gender stereotype, linguistic landscape

Introduction

Gender has been depicted as a multi-dimensional, historically changing structure of social relations constructed in active social practices (Connell, 1987). These social practices often cognitively impact society by creating guiding principles that determine how the genders perform social roles. These ‘social roles’ often limit humans in recognizing an individual’s true potential beyond societal expectations. This, in fact, is a stereotype. A stereotype may be defined as an overstated perception linked to a specific group utilized to rationalize one’s behavior concerning that group (Allport, 1954). Lipmann (1922) states that a stereotype can be described as a persistent and broadly generalized belief about a specific class or group of individuals, often noted as a phenomenon in scientific inquiry. In other words, it could be implied that stereotypes are thought to assist individuals in simplifying and managing the complexity of the social environment (Lipmann, 1922).

Stereotypes, according to Hamilton (1979), occur when a perceiver makes judgments about another person solely based on that person’s membership in a particular group. Since individuals cannot communicate and comprehend every group member, they judge the entire group based on their observations about some of them. Gender is a social construction, and individuals often distinguish between genders and develop ideas about the characteristic traits and behaviors associated with each gender (Liu et al., 2023). These gender stereotypes partly encapsulate the distinctions between males and females (Ellemers, 2018).

Gender stereotypes, similar to other social stereotypes, are a manifestation of observers noting people’s everyday behaviors (Eagly & Steffen, 1984). Numerous studies have revealed that gender stereotypes label women as communal and warm (nurturing and caregiving) as opposed to labeling men as agentic (being dominant, adventurous, and aggressive) (Biernat & Sesko, 2018; Kahalon et al., 2018; Eagly, 1987). These convictions empower members of a society to manage conduct, authorize specific actions, penalize or constrain others, and delineate what is deemed acceptable or condemned within a community (Romera, 2015; Fairclough, 2003; van Dijk, 1998, 2003). Gender stereotyping poses a substantial challenge to the advancement of women’s careers, particularly in management roles (Tabassum & Nayak, 2021). Stereotypes can either benefit or harm cognitive performance in men and women depending on whether the participants perceive the testing environment as frightening or challenging (Betz & Hackett, 1981).

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Debraj Gogoi, Research Scholar
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India 801106
debraj.1495@gmail.com

Dheeraj Kumar, Research Associate
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India 801106
dheeraj0428kumar@gmail.com

Indrajeet Jyoti, Research Scholar
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India 801106
indrajeet.jyoti.79@gmail.com

Sweta Sinha, Associate Professor

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India 801106
apna1982@gmail.com
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