How is Gender represented in the Media?

• Sociological Research of Representation of Gender in the media in the 1960's and 1980's, showed that men and women are portrayed differently
• Women occupied a limited number of roles but were as mothers, housewives and sex objects whilst men were seen as talking leading roles, showing them as stronger characters
• Tuchman completed their studies of gender representations in the media in 1978
• Tuchman (1978) argued that the narrow range of roles for women in the media amounted to their 'symbolic annihilation' - lost their work and were often stereotyped as mother or housewives etc.
• There are still enduring representations of femininity & masculinity that reflect traditional stereotypes:

  • Women are relatively invisible in parts of the media
  • In 2008, the Bristol Fawcett Society found that only 30% of the main characters in a day's output from CBeebies were women
• In 2008, the Bristol Fawcett Society found that 30% of the main characters in a day's output from CBeebies were women, showing how female roles are still invisible in the media and less represented
• There are still enduring representations of femininity & masculinity that reflect traditional stereotypes:

  • Also, prime-time dramas retained a 60/40 ratio of men to women speaking parts
• There are still enduring representations of femininity & masculinity that reflect traditional stereotypes:

  • It was also found that in sports coverage, men and women are portrayed in very different ways and there is greater coverage of men's sports