Gender Norms
Gender role is a term used to describe a set of attitudes, behaviors, and self-presentation methods ascribed to members of a certain biological sex (Meek, ). These include prescriptions for ways to act (be tough, stay in control, etc), attitudes to hold (work is very important, women should be be primary caregivers to children, etc), and ways to look (wear pants and suits, wear hair short, etc). It also includes proscriptions for ways not to act (don’t cry, don’t be a wimp, etc), attitudes not to hold (want to be a stay-at-home dad, it’s OK for my wife to earn more money than me, etc), and ways not to present oneself (don’t wear a dress, don’t have long hair, etc).
In the case of men, they are expected to possess qualities such as, emotional toughness, courage, self-reliance, rationality, competitiveness, ambition, risk-taking, agency, and volition as a show of masculinity. And media depictions of the ideal man often fall into the categories of family man, sportsman, outdoorsy/rugged man, ladies' man or wealthy man, as pictured above (L-R).
Women, on the other hand, are expected to be submissive, home-oriented, nurturing, sexually submissive, emotional, and irrational. And media depictions of femininity or the ideal woman are often limited to women being wives & mothers or sexual objects for male satisfaction & desire.