Megan steyn 50569694

Othering is a process whereby individuals and groups are treated and marked as different and inferior from the dominant social group. (Oxford university press,2017) It is a phenomenon in which people are characterized as not fitting in within the norms of a social group. 

This subject goes hand in hand with the concept of stereotypes. A stereotype is defined by the Oxford dictionary as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

The stereotype that is most commonly shown in my personal life, is the idea that women can't drive. When I first got my license I was in a small accident and everyone who knew would say that it was my fault because women can't drive. Since that day whenever I drive people think that something terrible is going to happen although I am a very responsible driver. 

This stereotype creates an uncertainty under a lot of women, who will question their driving abilities because there is this idea, that was formed in a social aspect, that women can't drive.

There are a lot more examples when it comes to stereotypes, for instance, all blondes are dumb, all asians are smart or women are more emotional than men. In some individual cases this might be true, but to generalise these assumptions creates a barrier in the social community.

All of us has believed that a stereotype is true, at one point in our lives when in fact it was just one or two individual encounters we had. These assumptions of certain kinds of people create otherness among us, because they were treated differently or unfairly. It is important for everyone to realize that we need to deconstruct these views and treat everyone kindly and with respect, without creating an assumption based on their gender, appearance or where they come from.