Transcript Gender and the Media

Gender and the Media
How are females portrayed in the
Media?
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Functionalists see the
media as a form of
secondary socialisation
Marxists view the media as
an agent of social
control
Although different in their
approaches, both would
agree that the media has
an impact on shaping our
beliefs
What messages are these
pictures sending to
women?
Media stereotypes of Women
 “Despite
changing social attitudes
and media reform, the mass media
are still likely to portray women as a
series of familiar stereotypes”
 What does this mean?
 Do you agree?
 Media Stereotype: simple media
image based on prejudice
Women as wives and mothers
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Women who are successful
homemakers and carers
are shown as role models,
particularly in advertising
and soap operas.
Negative images are
presented of women who
neglect their children and
homes
Women who place a career
above domestic life are
often shown as regretting
this decision
Women as sex objects
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Tabloid newspapers and
advertisers continue to use
images of partly clothed
women to enhance sales
Ironically, these same
papers adopt a high moral
tone when exposing the
sex lives of celebrities
They also present sexist
interpretations of
appropriate behaviour
Male authority
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Male authority continues to
be represented as “natural
and inevitable” in
television dramas
Women who are in
positions of power are
often shown as
domineering and over
critical
Or are shown to be
struggling with their role
and emotions
Female magazines
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Female magazines are
dominated by advertising
that is concerned with
appearance
Along with articles on
makeup, hair and clothes,
they concentrate on weight
loss and achieving the
ideal body shape
The focus is on how to look
attractive towards men
Women who fail to
maintain a relationship
with a man are portrayed
as failing in life
Effects of stereotypes
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Media stereotypes can
have a significant effect on
our idea of how we should
live our lives
Sociologists are concerned
with the cumulative
effect they may have on
children
Children are exposed to an
enormous amount of
media content in their
formative years
Children’s books
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Sociologists such as Sue
Sharpe have commented
on children’s books
She argues that although
sexist imagery still
remains, some attempts
have been made to dispel
stereotypes
There is a growing body of
books available to children
of all ages that show
women and men in less
traditional roles
Activity
 Look
at the activity on the report on
Women’s Tennis on page 221 of your
text book
 Answer the question
 Try the stretch and challenge activity