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Our project hopes to bring a greater awareness to young women and supporting adults (teachers, parents, advocates) of sexist and sexual stereotypes, and of the importance of promoting equality and diversity in our society.

This is an educational kit that contains a slew of pertinent information that will help you to recognize and deconstruct sexist and sexual stereotypes.

By navigating our site, you will also gain access to various resources and tools that will allow you to pursue your reflection.

Throughout the project, we intend to highlight its intercultural aspect. This means that we hope that women of all cultural backgrounds will see themselves addressed by the issues that we bring to the fore.

Why launch a project about sexist and sexual stereotypes?

• Because we are aware of the negative impact of stereotypes on the young (boys and girls);


• Because we believe it is important to develop critical thinking in regard to stereotypes;


• Because we have had enough of the female stereotypes put forth by the media that project a single vision of beauty;


• Because we are concerned about the consequences on the young of the hyper-sexualisation of society and of the stereotypical models that forever promote sexual “performance”, as if our sexuality has been reduced to that single component;


• Because we are fed up with sexism and racism;


• Because we believe that equality and diversity begin with the elimination of clichés.







All right! But what do we actually mean by “stereotype”?


A stereotype is a preconceived notion of “what should be” or of “what we should be”. It is built around a set of standards that we have come to believe we must conform to. There are many types of stereotypes,including sexist and sexual stereotypes.


Here is a short video produced with the group, Laval Girl Talk, on sexist and sexual stereotypes and relationships!




Sexual stereotypes are linked to a perception of the roles that fall to women and those that fall to men. For example, women clean house; men do handiwork.


Therefore, sexual and sexist stereotypes project a reduced vision of reality.


Indeed, handiwork is an activity no more exclusive to men than house cleaning is to women. The same can be said about being rational or emotional: all human beings, men and women, have a rational and an emotional side.


The difference between sexual stereotypes and sexist stereotypes is that the latter is pejorative to one gender or the other. For example, to claim that men are more rational and women more emotional suggests that women are incapable of rational thought. Basing one’s evaluations on such a stereotype is what leads some people to believe, at the dawn of the 21st century, that a woman is less able to run a country than a man is.


Sexual and sexist stereotypes contribute, on a sub-conscious level, to the development of attitudes and behaviours in young men and women that restrict their identity.


And yet, what is a “real” girl or a “real” guy? And on what basis are we to decide that such an attitude is inappropriate for you, as a girl, or for your brother, as a boy?


By spreading preconceived notions and prejudices, stereotypes give rise to discrimination; they contribute to setting apart a particular social group in an unfair and illegitimate fashion.


We believe that by eliminating clichés that we will collectively succeed in fighting discrimination and attain true equality between men and women.





Equality and Diversity: No Cliché!


Happy surfing!