Anton Ruliou

5812
Mgr. Katarzyna Szczepaniak
Sterotypes in Media
Gender Stereotypes within the Belarusian Public Discourse
Stereotypes may be negative or positive but bot! negative and positive stereotypes may
!arm t!e representative o" t!e group t!ey apply to or even ot!er groups. #!e stereotype o" a $oman
as a nurturing parent may be positive !o$ever it may !arm $omen $!o c!oose not to create a
"amily or take responsibility o" a c!ild. %egative stereotypes about $omen e.g. $omen&s alleged
lack o" capacity "or mat!ematics or alleged incapacity to command can prevent "emales "rom
getting e'ual treatment $it! men in t!e $orking place or ot!er sp!eres o" li"e.
Stereotypes gro$ "rom sc!emas $!ic! can be broadly de"ined as mental s!ortcuts people
use in order to organize t!e $orld around t!em.
1
(syc!ological e""ects suc! as priming and sel")
"ul"illing prop!ecies s!o$ t!e relations!ip bet$een $ords sc!emas and !uman be!avior. (ublic
discourse plays an important role in creating sc!emas in t!e minds o" people and conse'uently
eit!er reproducing or obliterating stereotypes.
2
#!is essay deals $it! some o" t!e e*amples o" t!e
reproduction o" gender stereotypes by some !ig!)level +elarusian o""icials due to t!eir undeniable
in"luence on t!e public discourse.
,t is !ard not to begin $it! t!e top +elarusian o""icial !imsel" - president Aliaksandr
.ukas!enka. /ne o" t!e e*amples o" reproducing gender stereotypes by t!e president o" +elarus
$ould be !is ,nternational 0omen1s 2ay greetings released every year. #o be more precise it re"ers
to t!e $ords Mr. .ukas!enka is using. #!e latest o""icial greeting can be presented as an e*ample3
4/ur dear and beloved mot!ers grandmot!ers sisters $ives daug!ters and colleagues5 ,t is
during t!is beauti"ul season o" long)anticipated spring t!at , $ould like on be!al" o" all +elarusian
men to $is! you 6appy 0omen1s 2ay. 7ou are t!e spring o" li"e and t!e beginning o" all
beginnings. 7ou inspire us to be !eroes and discoverers you make us !appy $it! 8ust one glance
you can stop a battle $it! 8ust one $ord and it is your gi"t o" kids $!ic! makes t!e mankind last
"orever. ,t is not coincidence t!at some o" t!e most c!eris!ed by every +elarusian $ords suc! as
9art! Mot!erland and +elarus - t!ey all are o" "eminine gender:
;
,n suc! a manner t!ere is an emp!asis made on t!e roles o" $omen $it!in t!e traditional
"amily - and particularly on t!e role o" a mot!er. #!ere is also a particular emp!asis on t!e
secondary role o" $omen in t!e society - t!e "ourt! sentence stresses t!e proactive role o" men $!o
are 4!eroes and discoverers: and t!e passive role o" $omen $!o serve merely as t!e inspirers o"
men. Alt!oug! t!ere are no speci"ic $ords describing t!e p!ysical appearance o" $omen - it is still
possible to make a conclusion t!at t!e p!ysical beauty is emp!asized due to t!e non)obligatory
presence o" t!e 4beauti"ul season o" long)anticipated spring: <$it! emp!asis on t!e beauti"ul
season= but also $omen&s ability 4to make us <meaning men= !appy $it! 8ust one glance: and
4inspire us <men= to be !eroes and discoverers:. All in all t!is sentence alludes to almost a
medieval atmosp!ere o" knig!ts and princesses - $it! knig!ts $!o are being "ig!ters !eroes and
discoverers and princesses being silent beauties $!o !ave t!e po$er o" in"luencing men t!roug!
t!eir looks and stopping "ig!ts $it! rare $ords. #!is s!ort speec! portraits men as t!e group $!ic!
plays an active role in t!e society and portraits $omen as t!e group $!ic! !as a reactive role.
6o$ever it is not only t!e president o" +elarus $!o reproduces gender stereotypes. /ne o"
t!e most catc!y p!rases o" +elarusian politics o" t!e recent years $as t!e ans$er o" t!e !ead o" t!e
+elarusian >entral 9lectoral >ommittee .idziya 9rmos!yna to t!e 'uestion o" one o" t!e
1 Aronson 9lliot #imot!y 0ilson and Robin Akert. Social (syc!ology. ?t! edition. @pper Saddle River3 (rentice
6all 2AA?. 5B)?1. (rint.
2 ,bid ?C)B1.
; (resident .ukas!enko e*tends 0omen1s 2ay greetings D+elarusian #elegrap! Agency.D .ast modi"ied Eebruary AB
2A1;. Accessed April 2; 2A1;. !ttp3FFne$s.belta.byFenFne$sFpresidentGidHBA8I?B.
8ournalists on t!e press)con"erence rig!t a"ter t!e (residential elections o" 2A1A and t!e conse'uent
brutal dispersal o" t!e demonstration against t!e "alsi"ication o" t!ese elections on 2ecember 1I
2A1A. #!e 'uestion $as related to t!e participation o" $omen in t!e demonstration and a big
number o" $omen $!o $ere beaten up by t!e riot police. 9rmos!yna ans$ered3 4#!ese $omen
!ave not!ing better to do. #!ey s!ould !ave stayed !ome and cooked borsc! and not !anged
around on s'uares. ,t $ould !ave never come up to my mind. #!is is a s!ame "or a $oman to
participate in suc! events. , $ould understand it i" s!e $as young and stupid - t!ere $ere a lot o"
guys t!ere. And i" s!e comes to t!e s'uare and s!e is not young - sorry t!ere must be somet!ing
$rong $it! !er.:
C
(arado*ically t!is emotional tirade comes "rom a $oman !olding a relatively !ig! position.
#!e logic o" t!is statement is e*plicitly se*ist - t!ere is a clear pre8udice against $omen $!o attend
any type o" protests3 once $omen are young t!ey only attend mass protests to get attention o" t!e
4guys: once $omen are aged t!ey can only attend mass protests only i" t!ey are stupid. Alt!oug! a
muc! !ars!er statement t!an t!e previous one by .ukas!enka it possesses t!e same allusion to t!e
secondary role t!at $omen 4s!ould: play - t!ere is an implication t!at men actually c!oose to
participate in t!e protests in order to ac!ieve some political goals but $omen participate only $!en
t!ey need men&s attention.
#!e story continued $!en .idziya 9rmos!yna gave an intervie$ to one o" t!e +elarusian
mass)media. 0!en ans$ering t!e 'uestion about gender imbalance in +elarus 9rmos!yna ans$ered
t!e "ollo$ing3 4#!is is slander you !ave $rong in"ormation...Any parliamentary body t!at $e !ave
in +elarus !as ;;J o" $omen in it. #!ere are 5AJ o" $omen at t!e local level and about 8A)IAJ
o" $omen at t!e lo$est level o" po$er...," $e are talking about t!e government t!en yes $e !ave a
"e$ $omen $!o are ministers. +ut is t!is t!e position o" t!e minister $!ic! makes a $oman !appyG
.ove beauty c!ildren a !usband - t!at&s $!at makes a $oman !appy.:
5
#!is is a typical micro)macro overlap o" discourse a concept $!ic! $as described earlier by
Kan 2i8k.
?
9rmos!yna mig!t be talking "or !ersel" - it is possible t!at love beauty c!ildren and a
!usband are indeed !er priorities. 6o$ever as a !ig!)level o""icial and a person $!o !as a
prominent pro"ile in +elarusian media s!e contributes to t!e reproduction o" t!e mental sc!ema
$!ic! can be easily trans"ormed to a stereotype. #!is in turn is negative "or $omen $is!ing to
pursue a career on a larger scale. ,t is easy to imagine a situation $!ere t!ere is an opportunity "or
promotion $it! t$o competing candidates o" opposite genders and same 'uali"ications - $it! a man
receiving t!e promotion in t!e end due to t!e "act t!at t!e person in c!arge t!inks in a similar $ay
to 9rmos!yna. ,n "act data proves t!at t!is mig!t be true - t!ere $ere only 5J o" $omen in t!e
+elarusian government and only 8J o" $omen among t!e >9/s o" +elarusian enterprises in
2A1A.
B
,n suc! a manner t!e logic o" t!e +elarusian state o""icials <or at least some o" t!em= seems
to be t!at $omen can $ork and pursue careers up to some point but only in lo$)level positions.
Speec!es like t!e ones mentioned above could !ave contributed to t!e strengt!ening o" t!e
stereotypes in regards to $omen in t!e +elarusian society and conse'uently to gender ine'uality in
+elarus.
#!ree cases described in t!is essay are likely to be insu""icient "or making "ar)reac!ing
conclusions on t!e "re'uency o" t!e usage o" gender stereotypes in +elarusian public discourse.
%evert!eless suc! stereotypes are indeed reproduced by !ig!)rank +elarusian o""icials at least
occasionally. #!e correlation bet$een t!e rate o" reproduction o" gender stereotypes and t!e number
o" $omen !olding top)level positions in +elarusian public and private sector is unclear and re'uires
"urt!er $ork.
C %aviny.by. +elarus %e$s. D!ttp3FFnaviny.byFrubricsFelectionsF2A1AF12F2AFicLne$sL?2;L;5B?B5F.D .ast modi"ied
2ecember 2A 2A1A. Accessed April 2; 2A1;. !ttp3FFnaviny.byFrubricsFelectionsF2A1AF12F2AFicLne$sL?2;L;5B?B5F.
5 .idziya 9rmos!yna <6ead o" t!e >entral 9lectoral >ommittee o" t!e Republic o" +elarus= intervie$ by 7ury
Misser %arodnaya volya Marc! 15 2A1A April 2; 2A1; !ttp3FF$$$.nv)online.in"oFbyF55F211F1AC5IF.
? #eun Kan 2i8k D>ritical 2iscourse AnalysisD3 ;5C
B Salamatsina ,ryna. %ova8a 9uropa DMyt!s o" Nender 9'uality in +elarus.D .ast modi"ied May 1I 2A1A. Accessed
April 2; 2A1;. !ttp3FFn)europe.euFarticleF2A1AFA5F1IF