In response to this, Peterson and Runyan assert that: The problem with this misconception is that in societies, such as those in the West, it is assumed that the reproductive function of males and females is a sufficient basis for prescribing psychological and behavioural characteristics onto members of society. However, this only serves to conflate biological anatomy with socially constructed identities.

The terms gender and sex are often understood to be the same thing and used interchangeably. The distinction of sex can be made through the classification of ‘… genitalia at birth or chromosomal typing before birth’. Sex, in contrast to gender, refers to the determination made based upon scientifically accepted biological criteria. Sex and gender are classifications for differentiating between men and women. Although this difference is highly contentious and widely contested, it will inform the essay’s discussion of gender equality. However, there is a vital distinction at work here, one that will underpin this essay - the difference between sex and gender. Men and women are constructed to behave and interact in ways that perpetuate their gendered identities. The gendering of the sexes produces and sustains socially constructed differences. Gender denotes the social phenomenon of distinguishing males and females based on a set of identity traits. Male stereotypes, or masculinities, function ‘… as an aspect of a larger structure’. When analysing male stereotypes, in the context of gender equality, it is important to recognise that they do not operate in isolation. Certain masculinities preserve and promote the inequalities experienced between men and women, and, in order to achieve gender equality, they must be dismantled. This will then lead the essay to discuss the trajectory of the progress towards gender equality and why males must be viewed as fundamental actors. Then, it will define gender equality and its various interpretations. Firstly, the essay will establish that male stereotypes operate within a larger structure of the gender paradigm. This will involve analysing the entrenchment of traditional male stereotypes in society and their consequent impact on women.

This essay asks how do male stereotypes affect the manner in which males engage with gender equality? By encouraging males to analyse their socially constructed gender profiles, it is possible to educate them on how their social roles may impact gender equality. However, the influence that traditional male stereotypes have on the perpetuation of gender inequality, at a transnational scale, also needs to be addressed. Public and international discourse on the debate for gender equality focuses on the oppression of women, as it rightly should.

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