Gender and
Self-Esteem
Week Eleven
Topics
• Challenges to Self-Esteem for
Women versus Men
• Problems in the extreme
• Case Study
Challenges to Self-Esteem
for Women
• Objectification (Sex Object)
• Cultural over-emphasis on
– appearance
– weight
– fashion
– makeup
– domestic role
(mother,
home-maker)
Gender stereotypes that
challenge Self-Esteem
• Women value love, communication, beauty
and relationships.
• A woman's sense of self is defined through
their feelings and the quality of their
relationships. They spend much time
supporting, nurturing and helping each other.
They experience fulfillment through sharing
and relating.
• Personal expression, in clothes and feelings,
is very important. Communication is
important. Talking, sharing and relating is how
a woman feels good about herself.
Gender stereotypes that
challenge Self-Esteem
• For women, offering help is not a sign of
weakness but a sign of strength; it is a sign of
caring to give support.
• Women are very concerned about issues
relating to physical attractiveness; changes in
this area can be as difficult for women as
changes in a man's financial status.
• When men are preoccupied with work or
money, women interpret it as rejection.
Gender stereotypes that
challenge Self-Esteem
• A man's sense of self is defined through his
ability to achieve results, through success
and accomplishment.
• Achievement of goals leads to proof of
competence and feeling good about himself.
• To feel good about himself, men must
achieve goals by themselves
• For men, doing things by themselves is a
symbol of efficiency, power and competence.
• In general, men are more interested in
objects and things rather than people and
feelings.
Gender stereotypes that
challenge Self-Esteem
• Men rarely talk about their problems unless
they are seeking “expert” advice; asking for
help when you can do something yourself is a
sign of weakness.
• Men are more aggressive than women; more
combative and territorial.
• Men’s self esteem is more career-related.
• Men feel devastated by failure and financial
setbacks; they tend to obsess about money
much more than women
• Men hate to ask for information because it
shows they are a failure.
Brain Chemistry
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Girls develop the right side of their brain faster than boys;
the core functions of the right brain include:
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talking,
vocabulary,
pronunciation,
reading earlier,
better memory.
Boys develop the left side of their brain faster than girls:
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visual-spatial-logical skills,
perceptual skills,
better at math,
problem solving,
building and figuring out puzzles.
Girls seem more interested in toys with faces than boys
are; play with stuffed animals and dolls more
Boys drawn to blocks or anything that can be manipulated.
Women use both hemispheres of brain; the corpus
callosum is thicker in women, improving bi-lateral use of
brain
Brain Chemistry
• Why is it that some people, perhaps especially young
women—seize on the most self-critical thoughts they
can come up with?
• There's an area of your brain that's assigned the task
of negative thinking.
– It's judgmental.
– It's a barometer of every social interaction you have.
– It goes on red alert when the feedback you're getting
from other people isn't going well.
• This worrywart part of the brain is the anterior cingulate
cortex.
– In women, it's actually larger and more influential
– as is the brain circuitry for observing emotions in others.
– Researchers suggest that females have been built to be
immediately responsive to the needs of a nonverbal
infant
Problems in the Extreme
for Women with Low SE
• Eating Disorders
• Depression, self-mutilation,
suicide
• Victims of abuse, sexual
assault, domestic violence
Good News
• Girls, Inc.
– Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart,
and bold
• Dove Project
• Take Our Daughters to Work
day
Case Study—Oprah Winfrey
• Challenges
– Born to unwed teen parents (mom
was 18)
– Raised by grandmother
– Raped by cousin at age 9
– Molested by mom’s friend and by an
uncle
– Frequently ran away from home
– Pregnant at age 14, gave birth to
stillborn baby
Case Study—Oprah Winfrey
• Successes
– Taught to read at early age, instilling a love for
reading
– Moved in with dad, who provided parenting
structure and discipline
– Radio station reporter at age 19
– Won several pageants, including Miss Black
Nashville and Miss Tennessee
– Hosted a TV show in Baltimore at age 22, called
“People Are Talking”
– At age 30, hosted own show called “A.M. Chicago”
– Nominated for Academy Award for her role in The
Color Purple at age 31
– Started the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986 at age 32
Challenges to Self-Esteem
for Men
• Objectification
(Success Object)
• Cultural over-emphasis on
– athleticism
– strength
– size
– financial success
– hair
Problems in the extreme
for Men with Low SE
• Body dysmorphia, steroid
abuse
• Depression, rage, aggression
• Batterer