All women are...

[nontacitare]

I've been noticing a disturbing trend lately. The phrase "Women are so catty and bitchy," or variants such as "It's typical of women to be unhelpful," "Men are nicer than women," "women always tear other women down," "Men are better leaders because women can't be trusted," etc. pop up a bit too often for my tastes. These statements are made by

Comments

[the_shampoo]

I've never been called catty, bitchy, or untrustworthy before (to my knowledge) nor have I ever called a group those things. I probably have called some people bitchy, catty, or untrustworthy in my life, but I wouldn't attribute those things to either gender.
I tend to think that most of the differences between men and women are nurture (vs. nature). Just look at the closing physical gap between men and women as far as Olympic statistics. Women are becoming stronger and faster at a faster rate then men are.
Or that's what I think.

[nontacitare]

It's not so much a problem with people who read my posts. This is only forum I really have to say, "Hey, this is a problem in our society." What bothers me most is the generalization, "It's so typical of women to be catty and unhelpful." I agree with you that it's not the sort of thing that can be ascribed to gender.

[wishesofastar]

I see a lot of generalizations on both sides of the gender border; "women are..." and "men are..." are both statements that make me cringe. There's one woman in particular I know who does this on a regular basis. I've kept silent about it thus far, but the next time she does this, I'm going to call her on it. It's freaking annoying.

[nontacitare]

"women are..." and "men are..." are both statements that make me cringe.

Yeah, generalizations in general make me nervous, especially when the trait in question is perceived by the speaker as being negative. I wish more people would focus on individual behaviors by individuals rather than demean a group (any group) as a whole.

[duriyah]

Generalizing statements regarding gender-related characteristics are one of my pet peeves. Generalizing all groups of people is stereotyping, but I am particularly sensitive to gender-specific stereotyping. Luckily I don’t often hear many of the statements you listed here, but “women are catty and bitchy” I do hear people say. I do know some catty women, but I know some catty men, too. The guy I sit next to at work is a perfect example. Whenever I hear anyone make any generalizing statement of that type, I try to counter by saying something like, "some women are ____, yes, but I know many who aren’t." And if there is time, I'll give a good example. It’s amazing how many people make this sort of generalization without even thinking! People don’t seem to be aware of how much their language and expectations shapes what they see, and how damaging it is to stay in those preconceived notions. I believe strongly that gender is a continuum, and that people are more alike than they are different, regardless of genders.

[nontacitare]

People don’t seem to be aware of how much their language and expectations shapes what they see, and how damaging it is to stay in those preconceived notions.

I agree entirely. What really bothers me in this sort of stereotyping is the demonization of an entire group of people. I don't mind intelligent, nuanced discussions about how male and female hormones may or may not influence behavior, or examining the subtle cultural biases that shape how we grow up, but when the motives of a particular woman are immediately suspect simply because of her gender, it becomes an injustice.