Read the following passage. Write T if the statement is TRUE, F if the statement is FALSE and NI if there is NO INFORMATION on it.
A gender stereotype is a fixed idea about characteristics that women and men should have. From an early age, parents tend to treat boys and girls differently and encourage children to engage in gender-appropriate play (e.g., boys play with cars; girls play with dolls). Phrases like ‘man up’ or ‘you run like a girl’ are talked to children every day. The media also plays a role in its portrayal of men and women in sex-typed occupations (e.g., men as doctors and women as nurses). As a result, gender stereotypes can influence the decisions of children when they choose their future careers. Young girls tend to go after careers in office work, nursing, teaching, homecare and childcare. Boys are likely to work in the fields of engineering, science, computing or finance. In fact, according to Lifting Limits, in the UK, only 17% of ICT professionals and 12% of construction industry workers are female. In addition, the number of women working in engineering professionals is less than 10%, while registered male nurses make up 11%. Besides, men have experienced negative bias when working in positions that others associate with women. For example, boys are likely to be looked down on when they want to go into a female-dominated career like hairdressing, because they are not considered masculine enough. Although stereotypes can be hard to change, we can do something to help minimize gender bias. We can teach children that they should make a career choice that is suited to their talents, interests and abilities, not one that is restricted by job-gender stereotypes. 26. Evidence of gender stereotypes can be found in many parts of our daily life.