influence of culture and the media

• culture and gender roles


  -cross-cultural research is noted for its valuable contribution to the nature-nurture debate in gender

  -if a particular gender-role behaviour is consistent across different cultures, may conclude that this represents an innate, biological difference between males and females

  -some behaviours are culturally specific
• cultural differences (nurture)


  Margaret Mead 1935 study of cultural groups on the island of Samoa

  -Arapesh were gentle & responsive(feminine stereotype in industrialised societies)

  -Mundugumor were aggressive & hostile ( masculine stereotype in industrialised societies)

  -Tchambuli women were dominant and they organised village life, men were passive and considered to be 'decorative' (reversed roles)

  may not be a biological relationship between sex and gender
• cultural similarities - nature


  David Buss 1995 found consistent patterns in male preference in 37 countries across all continents.

  Women sought men who could offer wealth and resources, men sought youth and physical attractiveness in a potential partner.

  Munroe & Munroe 1975 revealed that in most societies, division of labour is organised along gender lines (men=breadwinners, women=nurturers)
• culture evaluation- research support 


  +Hofstede 2001 argues that in industrialised cultures the changing status and expectations of women are a function of their increasing active role in the work place and away from the domestic sphere. Which leads to the breakdown of traditional stereotypes in advanced industrialised societies
• culture evaluation- Mead's Research


  -made generalisations based on a short period of study. Freeman 1983, follow up study of the Samoan people after the investigation. She had been mislead by some of her participants (observer bias and ethnocentrism)
• the media and gender roles


  the media provide role models with whom children may identify and want to imitate.

  Children are likely to select role models who are the same sex and engage in gender-appropriate behaviour
• rigid stereotypes


  The media do provide very clear gender stereotypes that are quite rigid. Men are independent, ambitious 'advice-givers', women are dependent, unambitious 'advice-seekers'. (Bussey and Bandura 1999)

  Furnham and Farragher 2000 found that men are more likely to be shown in autonomous roles within profession contexts whereas women were often occupying familial roles within domestic settings
• self-efficacy


  Gives information to males and females in the likely success or otherwise of adopting these behaviours. Seeing other people perform gender-appropriate behaviors increases a Childs' belief that they are capable of carrying out such behaviors in the future.

  Mitra et al 2019- detective drama that ran for 75 episodes, girls who watched the programme were more likely to see themselves as capable of working outside of the home than non-viewers
• media evaluation- cultivation theory


  + has a theoretical bias, more time individuals spend 'living' in the media world, the more likely they are to believe that this reflects social reality. Bond and Drogos 2012, positive correlation between the time spent watching the reality TV programme Jersey Shore and permissive attitudes towards casual sex
• media evaluation- passive recipients


  -may not be a causal relationship, Durkin 1985 argues that very young children are not passive and uncritical recipients of media messages. If media representations confirm existing gender norms held by the family then these are likely to be reinforced in the child's mind. If not, the such representations are likely to be rejected