gender

• Introduction

  The media often stereotype ethnic minorities, gay people, old people, young people and disabled people.
• Media messages about gender are stereotyped

  most editors are men

  Croteau and Hoynes (2000) found that in the mid 1990s in the US only 6% of top newspaper management and only 20% of top TV management were women.

  women do not appear in the media as often as men

  Cumberbatch (1990) found 90% of all advertising voice-overs
• Female stereotypes in media

  Women in the media are often presented as ideals for other women to aspire to, media tends to portray a limited range of roles

  Tuchman argued there were only two female roles portrayed in the media: domestic and sexual.

  argued that the achievements of women are presented as less important than their sex appeal – this is a form of ‘symbolic annihilation’.
• Symbolic annihilation

  absence of representation, or underrepresentation, of some group of people in the media, understood to be a means of maintaining social inequality.
• Women are often represented as victims (e.g. of sexual or domestic violence) by the media.
• Media stereotypes of gender are often influenced by binary opposition.

  Levi-Strauss said that one half of a binary opposite pair is culturally marked as being more positive than the other.
• examples of binary opposites of men and women

  male is culturally determined as positive.

  stereotypical representations of gender – e.g. by portrayed women as housewives and men as breadwinners.
• Wolf argument of media rep of women

  Images of women present them as sex objects to be consumed by what mulvey calls the male gaze
• Wolf argument of media rep of women

  Media makes women's bodies as a product in constant need of improvement
• Wolf argument of media rep of women

  • Often portrayed as objects to be looked at and desired, rather than as subjects with agency and power
• Wolf argument of media rep of women

  • Influenced by male perspectives and desires
• Wolf argument of media rep of women

  Highlights the negative impact that can have on women's self-esteem and body image
• Wolf calls for a more diverse and empowering representation of women in the media
• Liberal Feminist view

  media rep lack reality of social and economic conditions, they acknowledge that the rep of women have changed significantly for the better.

  Some note women's progress as media professionals has slowed down
• Strength of liberal feminist view

  they view that the media can promote gender equality by challenging stereotypes and increasing the rep of women in positions of power and influence
• Weakness of liberal feminist view

  the belief that increasing the representation of women in the media will automatically lead to greater gender equality overlooks the need for a deeper critique of the medias role in perpetuating patriarchal norms
• Marxist Feminist View

  The roots of stereotypical images of women and men in the media are economic. They are a by-product of the need of media conglomerates in capitalist societies to make a profit.
• Male dominated media

  • Aim to attract largest audience
  • This leads to an emphasis on traditional roles of men and women in sitcoms, games etc.
• Marxist Feminist View

  • Views gender as interconnected with other forms of oppression
  • Considers these intersections in their analysis of media representation
• The view that the media is solely a tool of the capitalist system may not account for the diversity of media organisations and interests
• Radical feminist view

  traditional hegemonic images of femininity are deliberately transmitted by a male-dominated media to keep women oppressed into a narrow range of roles = creates a form of false consciousness in women and deters them from making the most of opportunities available and mens patriarchal power is rarely challenged
• What do radical feminists focus on

  Male gaze in media representation, which reinforced patriarchal power and dynamics and objectifies women
• What do radical feminists view gender inequality as a result of

  institutional norms and values which are perpetuated by the media
• Disadvantage of radical feminist view

  the view that media solely reinforces patriarchal norms may overlook potential for media to challenges these norms and promote greater gender equality
• What does Gauntlett focus om

  relationship between mass media and identity and argues that the mass media today challenge traditional definitions of gender and are actually a force for social change
• What does Gauntlett say about men's media

  there has been a new emphasis in mens media on men's emotions and problems, which has challenged masculine ideals such as toughness and emotional resistance. As a result the media are now providing alternative gendered images and ideas = producing a greater diversity of choice for people in constructing their gender identities
• What is the social construction of gender (Gauntlett)

  the idea that gender roles and norms are not biologically determined, but are shaped by cultural and social factors

  media plays a key role in reinforcing and perpetuating these gender roles and norms