Do jobs have a gender ? Does leadership have a gender ? Does self-confidence have a gender ? Does ambition have a gender ? With these not-so-naively asked questions, experts in professional equality underline the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes in collective perceptions of social roles.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center confirms a persistent attachment of mentalities to the idea of differences (aptitudes, functioning, interests, etc.) between women and men. And these differences seem all the more irreducible as the conviction is established that it is nature that they proceed. Commented summary of this survey conducted among 4573 Americans representative of the population.

Gender stereotypes die hard

Women and men do not have the same physical abilities, according to 76% of those surveyed. However, it is not this criterion of differentiation that tops the population's convictions on the difference between the sexes : for nearly 9 out of 10 people, what differentiates a man from a woman in the first place is the way in which they express their feelings.

In third place are interests, which are considered distinct according to gender for 68% of respondents. Then comes the relationship to parenthood, which is not the same for a woman and a man in the minds of 64% of the American population. But almost as many (63%) think that the sexes do not have assigned professional skills.

Nature versus culture ?

To what are these perceived differences between the sexes attributed? Biology dictates this, with 42% of people convinced that women and men do not express their feelings in the same way, 46% who divide interests according to gender and 47% who see gender-specific professional skills.

On all items, the weight of social constructions in the apprehension of the origins of differences between the sexes is a short lead over essentialist invocations .

Men more essentialist than women

Men give the most credence to the biological nature of the differences in appetites, skills and behaviours between women and men. Almost twice as many as women are convinced that if professional qualities have a gender, it is biology that is important !

The belief that male expression of feelings is inherently different from female expression of feelings is also much more deeply rooted in men than in women. For women, it is always more to social constructions that we must refer to in order to understand the difference between the sexes.

A morality of the difference between the sexes ?

On the whole, those who say that there are differences between women's and men's " worlds " do not see this as a problem, or even believe that it is a good thing. The difference between the sexes is particularly popular when it comes to parenthood... And it also has a good reputation when it comes to dividing up professional skills and values.

To men : honesty, professionalism, ambition, hard work... For women : physical appearance ( ?!), attention to others, gentleness and intelligence. Assignments that put pressure on men to succeed professionally and provide for their households, and on women to be good mothers and remain physically attractive. Nothing new under the sky laden with gender stereotypes!

It should be noted, however, that the pressure to conform to the social expectations of gender comes mainly from men for men and women for women : in other words, it would be above all from the internalization of the stereotype that the injunction to be a man, a real woman, is nourished.

Deconstructing gender stereotypes, yes... But rather among women.

The pressure linked to gender stereotypes convinces a majority of the need to deconstruct them from early childhood. However, gender differentiation is even present in action in favour of non-sexist education: while 77% of those surveyed are in favour of encouraging girls to take up games and activities deemed " boys ' games", only 64% believe that it is good to do the opposite with little boys.

This is where we find the effects of the " differential valence of the sexes " : it is accepted and rewarding to go towards the masculine, but disqualifying to go towards the feminine.

Changing paradigms to fight more effectively against the effects of gender stereotypes

What the Pew Research Center study reveals is certainly the permanence of gender stereotypes in people's minds, but also their relative resistance to awareness. It would therefore not be enough to free oneself from the pressure that stereotypes exert, to know how to identify them and to realize that one is the object of them as much as one conveys them. It also seems rather pointless to prolong the discussion on the " natural " or " cultural " foundations of visions assigning individuals to social functions according to their gender.

The question is rather posed in terms of the collective will to give each individual the chance to achieve his or her full potential. It is the very logic of inclusion that makes everyone co-responsible for their postures and actions impacting others. If it is unlikely to get rid of all one's preconceptions, if only because the mechanisms of cognition are partly the result of categorizations of the world, the psychosociologist Patrick Scharnitzky (editor's note : speaker at EVE) invites us not to let them turn into decision-making biases. To do this, it is essential to constantly develop a cultural openness that promotes empathy as well as to build and maintain a personal and relational balance conducive to conscious acting.