Gender Stereotypes, Societal Influences on

Gender is the sociocultural construction of biologic sex. It comprises cultural, behavioral, biological, and psychological characteristics. Gender identity, therefore, is a socially constructed and fluid construct. This understanding of gender is integral to recognizing gender stereotypes and other forms of social misrepresentation within the United States. Gender stereotypes continue to be manifest within all forms of popular media, including film, print media, television, and social media like Facebook and Twitter. Stereotypes that construct heteronormative gendered representations of class, race/ethnicity, and social location influence individual and group (mis)understanding of gender. This knowledge construction process reinforces dominant discourses, thereby affecting social access, participation, equity, and respective policy change.