media and gender roles

• media and gender roles

  • media provide role models with whom children may identify and want to imitate
  • likely to be same gender
• media - rigid stereotypes

  • media provide clear gender stereotypes
  • men = ambitious, independent 'advice-givers'
  • women = dependent, unambitious 'advice seekers'
• media - rigid stereotypes

  • Furnham and Farragher - study of TV adverts
  • men were more likely to be shown in autonomous roles - proffessional contexts
  • women were seen occupying familial roles within domestic settings
  • media plays a role in reinforcing widespread social stereotypes concerning gender-appropriate behaviour
• media - self-efficacy

  • gives information to men and women in terms of the likely success of adopting these behaviours
  • seeing other people perform gender-appropriate behaviours increases a child'd belief that they are capable of carrying out such behaviours in the future
• media - self-efficacy

  • one study analysed the attitudes of people in India who had watched a programme desined to challenge deep-rooted stereotypes
  • detective drama
  • girls who watched the programme - more capable of working outside the home
  • self-efficacy had changed as a result of media influence
• AO3 - media - strength

  P: it has theoretical basis

  E: cultivation theory - the more time individuals spend living in media world the likely they are to believe that this reflects social reality

  E: Bond and Drogos - positive correlation between time spent watching reality TV - Jersey shore and permissive attitudes towards casual sex

  • effect still true when researchers controlled for the influence of such factors - sexual attitudes, parental attitudes, religious beliefs

  L: media cultivates perception of reality and this affects gender behaviour
• AO3 - media - limitation

  P: there may not be a causal relationship

  E: Durkin - argues that even very young children are not passive and uncritical recipients of media messages - norms within child's family may be a bigger determinant on the child's gender attitudes and behaviour

  E: If media representations confirm existing gender norms held by family they are likely to be reinforced - if not they are rejected

  L: suggests that media influences are secondary to other influences