The Influence of Culture & Media on Gender Roles

• What is culture defined as?

  The ideas, customs, and social behavior
• What does consistent gender-role behavior across cultures suggest?

  It is innate and biological
• What does culturally specific gender-role behavior suggest?

  Shared norms and socialization are decisive
• What was the aim of Mead's 1935 study?

  • Investigate gender roles across cultures
• Which tribes did Mead study in Papua New Guinea?

  • Arapesh
  • Mundugumor
  • Tchambuli
• What were the behaviors exhibited by the Arapesh tribe?

  Gentle and caring behaviors
• What behaviors were exhibited by the Mundugumor tribe?

  Aggressive and hostile behaviors
• What was unique about the Tchambuli tribe's gender roles?

  Women were dominant; men were passive
• What was the aim of Buss's 1995 study?

  • Determine characteristics sought in a mate
• What method did Buss use for his research?

  Conducted a survey
• What traits did men prioritize in a mate according to Buss's findings?

  Physical attractiveness, youth, chastity
• What traits did women prioritize in a mate according to Buss's findings?

  Wealth, resources, industriousness
• What does Hofstede's 2001 research suggest about gender roles?

  • Changing status of women linked to workplace roles
  • Breakdown of traditional stereotypes in industrialized societies
• What did Freeman's 1983 study argue about Mead's findings?

  Mead's findings were flawed and biased
• What is the definition of media?

  Communication channels for news and education
• How does media provide role models for children?

  Children identify with and imitate them
• What rigid stereotypes did Bussey & Banbury (1999) identify?

  • Men: independent, ambitious advice-givers
  • Women: dependent, unambitious advice-seekers
• What did Furnham & Farragher (2000) find about men and women in TV adverts?

  • Men shown in autonomous roles
  • Women shown in familial roles
• How does media influence self-efficacy in gender-typical behavior?

  It increases belief in performing behaviors
• What did Mitra et al (2019) find about girls watching a specific program?

  They saw themselves capable of working outside
• What does cultivation theory argue?

  • More media exposure leads to belief in social reality
• What correlation did Bond & Drogos (2014) find regarding media consumption?

  Positive correlation with permissive attitudes
• What does Durkin (1985) argue about children's media consumption?

  Children are not passive recipients of messages
• What may be a bigger determinant of children's gender attitudes than media?

  Norms within the child's family
• What is a limitation for the Influence of Culture on Gender?

  Mead’s Research

  • Freeman (1983) conducted a follow-up study of people from Papua New Guinea, in which he argued that Mead’s findings were flawed
  • She had been misled by some of her participants, and that her preconceptions of what she would find had influenced her reading of events, evidence for observer bias and ethnocentrism
  • This suggests that Mead’s interpretations may not have been objective and calls into question the conclusions that she drew
• What is a limitation for the Influence of Media on Gender?

  Passive Recipients

  • Durkin (1985) argues that even very young children are not passive and uncritical recipients of media messages
  • Norms within the child’s family may be the bigger determinant on the child’s gender attitudes and behaviour, and so media representations may only reinforce existing gender norms in the child’s mind
  • This suggests that media influences are secondary to other influences, such as family