Social stereotypes are cases of metonymy, where a subcategory has a socially recognized status as standing for the category as a whole, usually for the purpose of making quick judgements about people. The housewife-mother subcategory, though unnamed, exists. It defines cultural expectations about what a mother is supposed to be. And because of this, it yields prototype effects. In some cultures housewife-mothers are taken as better examples of mothers than nonhousewife-mothers. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In rhetoric and cognitive linguistics, metonymy (in Greek μετά (meta) = after/later and όνομα (onoma) = name) (IPA: mə-tŏnə-mē) is the use of a single characteristic to identify a more complex entity. ... A homemaker is a person whose prime occupation is to care for their family and/or home. ... Look up mother in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The characteristics of a given social stereotype may or may not have much basis in fact. Stereotypes can sometimes be a relatively value-neutral categorization of behavior (e.g. the view that most parents have a tendency to nag their children). On the other hand, when unjustified stereotypes are applied to groups, often the result is negative. Negative stereotyping is a key feature in prejudice, as racism, sexism, ageism, et cetera. For with(out) prejudice in law, see Prejudice (law). ... It has been suggested that Racism in Mass Media be merged into this article or section. ... The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all differentiations based on sex. ... Ageism is bias against a person or group on the grounds of age. ...

Advocates for public policy changes often have to overcome social stereotypes, while opponents of public policy changes often seek to reinforce them. For instance, in the field of civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. acted decisively against the social stereotypes of negative characteristics of African Americans, while his arch foe, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, sought to gather information to reinforce social stereotypes of African Americans. Martin Luther King, Jr. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Hoover in 1961 John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in its present form and its director from May 10, 1924 until his death in 1972. ...

Social stereotypes take the negative characteristics of some and apply it to all in a given, often arbitrary, category. They are a tool of propaganda and divisive politics. U.S. propaganda poster, depicting a Nazi stabbing a Bible. ... Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government. ...

See also

• Archetype
• Media and ethnicity