the influence of culture and media on gender roles

• Mead’s research on cultural groups in Samoa supported the cultural determination of gender roles. He found:

  • arapesh were gentle and responsive
  • mundugumor were aggressive and hostile
  • tchambuli women were dominant and they organised village life, men were passive and considered to be decorative
• Buss found consistent mate preferences in 37 countries studied across all continents. In all cultures he found that:

  • women sought men offering wealth and resources
  • men looked for youth and physical attractiveness

  Munroe and Munroe found that in most societies, division of labour is organised along gender lines
• children are most likely to imitate role models who are the same sex as they are and who are engaging in gender appropriate behaviour. This maximises the chance of gender appropriate behaviours being reinforced
• Bussey and Bandura found that the media provides rigid gender stereotypes. For example:

  • men are independent, ambitious and advice givers
  • women are dependent, unambitious and advice seekers

  Farnham and Farragher found that men were more likely to be shown in autonomous roles within professional contexts, whereas women were often seen occupying familial roles within domestic settings
• seeing other people perform gender appropriate behaviours increases a child’s belief that they are capable of such behaviours called self efficacy. Researchers found girls in India who watched a programme challenging gender stereotypes were more likely to see themselves as capable of working outside the home than non-viewers
• One strength is the the influence of culture has research support. In individualist cultures, changing expectations of women are a function of their increasingly active role in the workplace. In traditional societies women are still house makers as a result of social, cultural and religious pressures. This suggests that gender roles are very much determined by the cultural context
• One limitation is that Mead’s research has been criticised. A researcher studied the Samoan people after Mead’s study and claimed Mead had been misled by some of her participants. The researcher also claimed Mead’s preconceptions of what she would find had influenced her reading of events. This suggests that Mead’s interpretations may not have been objective and questions the conclusions that she drew
• One strength of media influence is that it has a theoretical basis. The more time individuals spend ‘living’ in the media world, the more they believe it reflects the social reality of the ’outside’ world. Researchers found a positive correlation between time spent watching Jersey Shore and permissive attitudes towards casual sex. This suggests the media ‘cultivates’ perception of reality and this affects gender behaviour
• One limitation is there may not be a casual relationship.A researcher argues that even very young children are not passive recipients of media messages, family norms are a bigger influence. If media representations confirm gender roles held by the family, norms are reinforced in a child’s mind. If not, then they are likely to be rejected. suggests that media influences are secondary to other influences, such as family