If you are a woman, you surely find yourself in at least one of the situations below. Every day, we face a lot of prejudices and underestimations about us women, due to certain stereotypes that have formed around us over time. Stereotypes about women are both the cause and the consequence of deep-rooted attitudes, values and norms against women. "If you are a woman"...

1. You can't have certain jobs

Many decades ago women were seen only as people who are quite limited in terms of strength and energy, therefore also the force in the field of work. Many jobs that required psychic power or intelligence were considered to be for men only. We need to get rid of stereotypes like: men should hold power (even politics), and women should take care of children, be teachers, nurses, hairdressers, etc. And women can be police officers, surgeons, gun drivers, pilots, president or work in the military, because as we know women are by nature competitive and highly motivated to get involved in what they love. When a woman sets her mind to something, few obstacles can stand in her way.

2. You don't drive well

The image of the woman behind the wheel is quite controversial. Stereotypes about women's lack of driving skills persist, but they can only be combated by promoting examples and role models, designed to show the world of daily traffic as it really is, without passing through the filter of prejudice. Most drivers believe that women drive more cautiously than men, but they don't know how to park or find their way around. However, according to the data provided by DRPCIV, about a third of the total number of drivers in Romania are women, and men also cause twice as many traffic accidents.

3. You can't raise a child alone

The two-parent family model has eroded and the number of single mothers has increased significantly in all advanced and industrialized countries as more and more women freely decide to become mothers without being in a partnership, which is not a nothing wrong, as long as the child lives in an environment that does not harm him. However, harmful and incorrect stereotypes contribute to the degradation of the confidence and self-respect of single mothers and their children, in Romania it even becomes a great shame to raise your child alone. Why? Because it is believed that a single mother does not have financial stability, cannot take care of her child, often interrupts her education and the acquisition of professional qualifications due to limited time and resources, which is dedicated to raising the child, being thus exposed subsequently the risk of social exclusion and poverty, as well as many other preconceived ideas.

4. You have to take care of the household chores

Housework done by men? Not yet. Women are still captive to social strictures today, which explains why they work so much at home. The New York Times cites three recently published studies that confirm what women instinctively know: Housework is still largely the preserve of women. And this is especially true for women who live with men. Although modern life has changed the roles in society, with women becoming more active professionally and men having to contribute to household chores, there are still preconceptions about the role of women in a family. You are surely familiar with the "famous" phrase "the woman at the pot" or how washing, cooking or cleaning are considered female tasks. In 1989 and 1998 studies showed that women were still doing more of the housework and children, and Barbara Risman observed how people feel obligated to fulfill these social roles. Although people's lives have changed significantly in recent decades, not much has changed in this regard.

5. You must be a mother

Since ancient times, women have been the symbol of birth. "Every woman must give birth to a child at least once in her life." "What do you mean you don't want to be a mother? ” “We live in an era of contradictions – being a mother today means the ultimate fulfillment for a woman, but also the sacrifice of independence, career, social life and even couple life.” - Elizabeth Badinter. In a traditionalist society "mothers are strictly mothers", they lose their femininity, their role as women. "Mother" is a mythical construct, to the image of which the idea of sacrifice is often linked. However, the world has evolved, becoming more individualistic, and in the era of consumerism, women are beginning to understand that the ultimate sacrifice is no longer valid, because neither time allows us nor the world is the same anymore. But if you're a woman, you're still judged for not wanting to have children, unless, of course, you physically can't, and then nobody tells you anything. But what happens when you can't psychic? They are simply women who will never be ready to become mothers, which is perfectly normal. We must understand and accept that the woman's role is not only that of procreating and that it is her choice whether or not she really wants to take on the role of mother, without making her just the "mouthpiece" of the world.

6. You must be female

Femininity is actually a set of rules that govern the behavior and appearance of women, rules that subsume female existence to the ethics of care, self-sacrifice for the achievement of the other (husband, children) and conforming to a male model of sexual attractiveness. However, we live in a society where if you don't wax, wear make-up, have short hair or if you adopt the "tomboy" style, you are immediately classified as a lesbian. What does it really mean to be a feminine woman? . "Femininity does not only mean lipstick, stylish hairstyles and fashionable clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your loving qualities, your spirituality, your delicacy, your brilliance, your sensitivity, your creativity, your charm, your grace, your kindness, your dignity and your inner strength. ” (James E. Faust) So we must understand that femininity is primarily found within us and that it is up to each of us whether or not we choose to let it show on the outside as well, and if we don't, that doesn't make it less female than the others.

   The conclusion: we women are stronger than we think, and in order not to face daily prejudices and underestimations we should fight together to dissolve all the stereotypes that have been created around us. "Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim! (Nora Ephron)