--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In other words, both the descriptive…" description: "\"“In other words, both the descriptive (‘women are gentle’) and the prescriptive (‘women should be gentle’) elements of gender stereotypes create a prob..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/cordelia-fine-22225_gender-stereotypes_in-other-words-both-the-descriptive-wome_1462015.jpg" --- # In other words, both the descriptive (‘women are gentle’)… ![“In other words, both the descriptive (‘women are gentle’) and the prescriptive (‘women should be gentle’) elements of gender stereotypes create a problem for ambitious women. Without any intention of bias, once we have categorised someone as male or female, activated gender stereotypes can then…” quote by Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/cordelia-fine-22225_gender-stereotypes_in-other-words-both-the-descriptive-wome_1462015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/cordelia-fine-22225_gender-stereotypes_in-other-words-both-the-descriptive-wome_1462015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/cordelia-fine-22225_gender-stereotypes_in-other-words-both-the-descriptive-wome_1462015.jpg) > ““In other words, both the descriptive (‘women are gentle’) and the prescriptive (‘women should be gentle’) elements of gender stereotypes create a problem for ambitious women. Without any intention of bias, once we have categorised someone as male or female, activated gender stereotypes can then colour our perception. When the qualifications for the job include stereotypically male qualities, this”” [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gender stereotypes both describe and prescribe behavior, hindering ambitious women’s perception and opportunities. **In simple terms:** Stereotypes limit women’s ambitions. Key Takeaway Challenge and broaden gender expectations. Themes gender stereotypes ambition bias Mood critical inspirational Type academic social When to use this quote - workplace hiring - education - leadership development Key Concepts social psychology equality Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions reduce gendered expectations? - What personal steps can women take to counter stereotypes? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted stereotypes is slow and resistant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious-women/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Gender stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-stereotypes/) [Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes/) ## Related quotes > [“When women display the necessary confidence in their skills and comfort with power, they run the risk of being regarded as ‘competent but cold’:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/when-women-display-the-necessary-confidence-in-their-skills-and/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Asian girls? Really? Could you be anymore stereotypically male?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gent/asian-girls-really-could-you-be-anymore-stereotypically-male/) [Larry Gent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gent/) > [Despite the gender stereotypes in the '80s, my race-car-driving dad taught me that I could do whatever my brother could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-de-cadenet/despite-the-gender-stereotypes-in-the-80s-my-race-car-driving-dad/) [Amanda de Cadenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-de-cadenet/) > [In '30 Rock,' Fey doesn't deny gender stereotypes, but covers them in such a way that it's not gender speaking, but the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-sanders/in-30-rock-fey-doesn-t-deny-gender-stereotypes-but-covers-them-in/) [Lou Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-sanders/) > [I just wanted to kind of break down those gender stereotypes and just say everyone's equal, everyone's their own person, everyone's their own individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-simz/i-just-wanted-to-kind-of-break-down-those-gender-stereotypes-and-just/) [Little Simz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-simz/) > [I think it's time we all agree that gender stereotypes are simply the confabulation of our own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/i-think-it-s-time-we-all-agree-that-gender-stereotypes-are-simply-the/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [Negative gender stereotypes related to girls' education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics begin as early as primary school and have the devastating effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/negative-gender-stereotypes-related-to-girls-education-in-science/) [Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/) > [“People like to think they're open-minded, but if you toss a tired gender stereotype on their path they'll run with it every time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-m-mcmanus/people-like-to-think-they-re-open-minded-but-if-you-toss-a-tired/) [Karen M. McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-m-mcmanus/) > [“I hate gender stereotypes like girls love princesses and boys like guns. . . my point is that tying particular behaviors and interests to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-kantor/i-hate-gender-stereotypes-like-girls-love-princesses-and-boys-like/) [Melissa Kantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-kantor/) > [It gets frustrating when my male counterparts are questioned about their game or performance, whereas I am fielding questions on gender stereotypes and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-mandhana/it-gets-frustrating-when-my-male-counterparts-are-questioned-about/) [Smriti Mandhana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-mandhana/) > [The biggest problem(s) in every category like religion, community, country, etc and especially in gender are the stereotypes, generalized notions imposed by few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-sharma/the-biggest-problem-s-in-every-category-like-religion-community/) [Mohit Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-sharma/) > [“Lots of women read fiction. Most men don't. Women read fiction written by women and by men. Most men don't. If a man opens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/lots-of-women-read-fiction-most-men-don-t-women-read-fiction-written/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [The gender stereotypes introduced in childhood are reinforced throughout our lives and become self-fulfilling prophesies. Most leadership positions are held by men, so women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/the-gender-stereotypes-introduced-in-childhood-are-reinforced/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [We don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that that they are and that when they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/we-don-t-often-talk-about-men-being-imprisoned-by-gender-stereotypes/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [When the environment makes gender salient, there is a ripple effect on the mind. We start to think of ourselves in terms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/when-the-environment-makes-gender-salient-there-is-a-ripple-effect-on/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) ## More by Cordelia Fine > [“Some day, I must ask him what it's like to be married to someone who, eyes narrowed in thought, peers at him over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/some-day-i-must-ask-him-what-it-s-like-to-be-married-to-someone-who/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [A member of my family, who shall remain nameless, refers to all newborns as ‘blobs’.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/a-member-of-my-family-who-shall-remain-nameless-refers-to-all/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [Although self-reported endorsement of sexist attitudes didn’t predict hiring bias, self-reported objectivity in decision making did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/although-self-reported-endorsement-of-sexist-attitudes-didn-t-predict/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“While parenthood served as no disadvantage at all to men, there was evidence of a substantial "motherhood penalty". Mothers received only half as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/while-parenthood-served-as-no-disadvantage-at-all-to-men-there-was/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“As it happens, there’s a way of presenting data, called the funnel plot, that indicates whether or not the scientific literature is biased in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/as-it-happens-there-s-a-way-of-presenting-data-called-the-funnel-plot/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [Both women and computer science are the losers when a geeky stereotype serves as an unnecessary gatekeeper to the profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/both-women-and-computer-science-are-the-losers-when-a-geeky/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“As Harvard University psychologist Mahzarin Banaji puts it, there is no “bright line separating self from culture,” and the culture in which we develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/as-harvard-university-psychologist-mahzarin-banaji-puts-it-there-is/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“My husband would probably like you to know that, for the sake of my research for this chapter, he has had to put up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/my-husband-would-probably-like-you-to-know-that-for-the-sake-of-my/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“University of Otago social historian Hera Cook provides a beautiful illustration of exactly this point in her rich account of the sexual revolution.49 Cook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/university-of-otago-social-historian-hera-cook-provides-a-beautiful/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Here’s another example that some overworked mothers might find inspiring. We saw in Chapter 2 that being the one who produces the sperm doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/here-s-another-example-that-some-overworked-mothers-might-find/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Our minds, society and neurosexism create difference. Together, they wire gender. But the wiring is soft, not hard. It is flexible, malleable and changeable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/our-minds-society-and-neurosexism-create-difference-together-they/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“The tape measures and weighing scales of the Victorian brain scientists have been supplanted by powerful neuroimaging technologies, but there is still a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/the-tape-measures-and-weighing-scales-of-the-victorian-brain/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“When women display the necessary confidence in their skills and comfort with power, they run the risk of being regarded as ‘competent but cold’:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/when-women-display-the-necessary-confidence-in-their-skills-and/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“With a particular person in mind, or in anticipation of interacting with them, self-conception adjusts to create a shared reality. This means that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/with-a-particular-person-in-mind-or-in-anticipation-of-interacting/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Consider, for example, a cichlid fish known as Haplochromis burtoni that comes from the lakes of East Africa.9 In this species, only a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/consider-for-example-a-cichlid-fish-known-as-haplochromis-burtoni/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) [Explore all 28 Cordelia Fine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) ## More Ambitious women quotes > [We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/we-need-to-reshape-our-own-perception-of-how-we-view-ourselves-we/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [ Marla \[from Rules Don't Apply\] especially, believed that she has a certain set of rules that she had to abide by, in order to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-collins/marla-from-rules-don-t-apply-especially-believed-that-she-has-a/) [Lily Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-collins/) > [An Ambitious woman shewes her selfe to bee a troublesome disturber of the world, powerfull to make smale things great, and great monstrous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-overbury/an-ambitious-woman-shewes-her-selfe-to-bee-a-troublesome-disturber-of/) [Thomas Overbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-overbury/) > [“Active or ambitious women were not only rare but often evil. Wonder Woman flipped this paradigm by embodying the strength, assertiveness, and independence usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hanley/active-or-ambitious-women-were-not-only-rare-but-often-evil-wonder/) Tim Hanley > [You know I have never met a woman who is not strong. They don't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/you-know-i-have-never-met-a-woman-who-is-not-strong-they-don-t-exist/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [If we continue to show young girls that they are being compared to other girls, we’re doing ourselves a huge disservice as a society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/if-we-continue-to-show-young-girls-that-they-are-being-compared-to/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [There's a negative connotation to ambitious women, and I think that we should be able to be proud of being ambitious and not shy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/there-s-a-negative-connotation-to-ambitious-women-and-i-think-that-we/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [How do you give smart, accomplished, ambitious women the same opportunities as men to reach their goals? What about universal preschool and after-school programs?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/how-do-you-give-smart-accomplished-ambitious-women-the-same/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [“As ambitious women, we need to tell one another our stories. We need to tell the truth about our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-condren/as-ambitious-women-we-need-to-tell-one-another-our-stories-we-need-to/) [Debra Condren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-condren/) > [Other women who are killing it should motivate you, thrill you, challenge you and inspire you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/other-women-who-are-killing-it-should-motivate-you-thrill-you/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Much-derided chick lit, chick flicks, and chick magazines have left ambitious women in a bind. Why is it that I, a young woman, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-minshew/much-derided-chick-lit-chick-flicks-and-chick-magazines-have-left/) [Kathryn Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-minshew/) > [The ambitious women usually work twice as hard to make up the handicap of being usually left out of the chummy male bonding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sucheta-dalal/the-ambitious-women-usually-work-twice-as-hard-to-make-up-the/) [Sucheta Dalal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sucheta-dalal/) > [Once the social and spiritual opening was created for women in the form of spiritualism, suddenly ambitious women who wanted to participate in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-horowitz/once-the-social-and-spiritual-opening-was-created-for-women-in-the/) [Mitch Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-horowitz/) > [Nowadays there's the taping of the boobs. The tanning has become pretty intense with these young ladies. The hair extensions have become very serious...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanna-moakler/nowadays-there-s-the-taping-of-the-boobs-the-tanning-has-become/) [Shanna Moakler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanna-moakler/) > [It isn't that women are less ambitious,but women want to find a balance between work, love, and family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bachelet/it-isn-t-that-women-are-less-ambitious-but-women-want-to-find-a/) [Michelle Bachelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-bachelet/) [Browse all 24 Ambitious women quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious-women/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In other words, both the descriptive (‘women are gentle’) and the prescriptive (‘women should be gentle’) elements of gender stereotypes create a problem for ambitious women. 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