Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Communication Bachelor in Communication Research Communication and Society

Media and Gender Roles

By Jan Monique A. Bacaoco and Charlene Anne L. Lauchengco October 15, 2011

I.

Abstract

In this research, we will explain how media contributes to gender roles. The media are instrumental in the processes of gaining public consent. It doesnt only reflect reality, but construct a definition on what should be accepted as reality. As media continues dominating and influencing the society, gender inequality arises which promotes gender discrimination. This discrimination evaluates the ability of males that give them supreme power over females. Therefore, this paper shall attempt to primarily discuss the cause and effects of these inequalities. We will focus on media categorizes the kind of roles suitable for men and women. II. Introduction

Gender refers to the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being a female or male. It operates as a dimension of social organization, shaping how we interact with others and how we think about ourselves (Macionis, 2007, p. 334). Gender inequality may be one of the most popular issues that are triggered among societies. Women were being portrayed in a wide array of media forms including lms, primetime television dramas, newspapers, pornography, news magazines, cartoons, womens and girls magazines, popular music, comic books, advertising and soap operas while men predominate for cars, travel, banking services and alcoholic beverages. A careful study of gender in advertising reveals that men usually appear taller than women, implying male superiority. Feminists quickly realized that effective challenges to certain standard ways of representing women in the media and popular culture depended on being able to provide empirical evidence of sexism. In

so doing, the media tend to emphasize and reinforce the values and images of those who create the messages and own the means of dissemination. In addition, these values and images are often influenced by commercial considerations. As a result, the viewpoints and experiences of other people are often left out, or shown in negative ways.

III.

Discussion In everything from advertising, television programming, newspaper and

magazines, to comic books, popular music, film and video games, women and girls are more likely to be shown: in the home, performing domestic chores such as laundry or cooking; as sex objects who exist primarily to service men; as victims who can't protect themselves and are the natural recipients of beatings, harassment, sexual assault and murder. Do you ever wonder why Mr. Clean and Windex commercials generally show women cleaning the bathroom and washing the windows instead of men? Or why Budweiser beer commercials show men sitting around watching sports with their buddies while sipping a beer instead of women? The answer is simple: women, not men, are expected to clean the house and it is more socially acceptable for a man to lug around the house with a beer than it is for a woman. But do we blame the commercials for creating these social standards, or do we blame our social standards for creating these commercials? Social evolution does not occur spontaneously, and as changes eventually do begin to take place, there is usually some factor responsible for the

development. While changes in gender roles over time do affect advertisements, it is more common for the media to instigate the changes in gender roles and affect gender socialization. Whatever its limitations as a TV research method, content analysis does at least provide us with basic data about the prevalence of gender images on TV. The number of women shown on TV is far smaller than the number of men shown. Men outnumber women in general TV drama by 3 or 4 to 1. 70-85% of those on children's TV are male, and in children's cartoons, males outnumber females by 10 to 1. Even in soap operas women can be outnumbered 7:3. There are also more men than women in starring roles; the exceptions are notable only as exceptions. In contrast to this dominance of the screen by men, we all know that in the everyday world, women in fact slightly outnumber men. In this sense, TV does not reflect observable demographic realities, although it may well reflect the current distribution of power, and the values of those who hold it. Men and boys are also stereotyped by the media. Despite the fact that men have considerably more economic and political power in society than women, these trends although different from those which affect women and girls - are very damaging to boys. As the media continues to represent men in advertisements more than women, our society continues to respect and represent men more than women in every aspect of our daily lives. Women continue to be paid less at certain jobs, and experience more discrimination than men. Gender roles are widely shared expectations about how males and females are supposed to act. They are of special interest to feminist. People learn gender roles through the mass media (Brym & Lie, 2010, p. 74). Gender roles are embedded in our

heads at a young age. The ideology of women being domestic was imposed by media. For boys, media use words like rough and tough to describe them. The knowledge of gender role begins when a child sees on television that a kiss from Prince Charming saves Snow White from eternal sleep. Another thing is on toys. Toys shape our perception on how to act. This proves the learning to the child that women cant live without men and here, the ideology of man being superior to women starts. We are exposed to gender roles and the media all the time. Media portray men as dominant women are portrayed as weaker sex. As the learning of gender roles through the mass media suggest, not all media influences are created equal. Media presents young girls and guys an image that is unattainable. We as consumers buy into it. We strive to achieve this image and are more susceptible to judge others that dont. Gender Roles and Athletics It's not uncommon for male and female athletes involved in sports that "threaten" the traditional roles of men and women to be stereotyped and made fun of for being less than what a man or woman should be. It is not deemed "normal" for a man to be a ballet dancer, synchronized swimmer or ice skater because those are traditionally "feminine" sports. The barriers to men becoming involved in traditionally female sports may be harder to overcome than those in front of women participating in traditionally male sports because there is a certain level of novelty when a woman tries to participate in a male sport. She is tolerated because she is so "cute" or because she won't be good at it anyway; for a man in a woman's sport, it is not necessarily the women, but other men

within society who pass judgment on said man's masculinity. For men and women athletes who are involved in a sport that goes against the traditional sex and gender roles there are benefits in the long run, but the costs and sacrifices are, on the whole, more prominent (Preston, 2002, para. 1). mens sports are faster, more aggressive and dynamic, and thus more exciting. Therefore, it was argued that until women can deliver the same level of play, discrepancies in pay, working conditions, and celebrity status are to be expected. Examples students used to demonstrate the performance differential between mens and womens sports included golf, tennis, basketball, volleyball, and soccer. (Frankl, 2005, para. 1). Media is one medium that imposes this kind of ideology to the people. Koivula states that, in order to deepen our understanding of cultural values embedded in sport and to explore current values and power structures, we must study the potential effect of mass media on our beliefs (p. 33, 543-547). IV. Conclusion

Bibliography Books Brym, R.J. & Lie, J. (2010). Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, The Brief Edition. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, Inc. Macionis, J.J. (2007). Sociology: Eleventh Edition. Jurong, Singapore; Pearson Education, Inc. Website Frankl, D. (2005, January). Gender bias in sports: separate and not equal. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from http://www.sports-media.org/newpedimension5.htm.

Koivula, N. (1999, October). Gender stereotyping in televised media sport coverage. Sex roles: A journal of research, 33, 543-557. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mim2294/is1999Oct/ai59426460.

Preston, A. (2002, March 18). Going against the grain: athletes changing gender roles. Author. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/local/scisoc/sports02/papers/apreston.html.