A man and a woman, both in their 80’s, have been admitted to an assisted living facility.
- Which one likes opera?
- Which one likes sports?
- Which one sews?
- Which one works on cars?
Let’s face it. We tend to stereotype activities by gender. That’s just wrong!
The gentleman who sits behind me in church is a tailor. Does he like opera or sports? I have no idea. That hasn’t been part of our conversations. He does play a mean accordion.
My dad is a big opera fan. His sports watching is limited to major events though I bet he is not watching all that intently.
My baby brother loves watching auto races. He enjoys working on cars.
All these men have individualized preferences. I could just as easily highlighted women I’ve met along the way who have varied preferred activities.
I think our surveyors and our corporate programming people have it wrong. We don’t need gender based programs. We need programs that appeal to the people we serve.
Many men enjoy a manicure or a pedicure. Do they get into colorful polish? The ones I know don’t but I’d bet some men do. And, there are women (like me) who aren’t that into colorful nails.
Gender does not influence our preferences. So, stop stereotyping!
I completely agree with you. I don’t like that people think that because I am female I shouldn’t be on the fire department, or play the tuba, or work on cars but those are all things that I love. I have been faced with a lot of stereotypes lately that aren’t just gender related. It bothers me that people use my faith as a stereotype. They think that because of my relationship with God I should act or talk a certain way and then some try to use it to their advantage. When I run into people that could be stereotyped for the things they enjoy I try to encourage them to keep on going.
Thank you so much for your comment. Stereotyping is a reality we do live with but we need to manage it so it doesn’t become limiting.
Yes indeed stereotyping is wrong – each person is an individual and have their own interests. Getting the correct information on an activity assessment is very important and then the professional should use that to make sure the appropriate programs are being offered to that individual. Thanks 🙂
My pleasure, John.