GENDER AND MEDIA:Print Media and Portrayal of Genders

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Lesson 22

GENDER AND MEDIA

Media, mass media is one of the most influential agents of socialization. Media has a direct impact upon an

individual's mind__ on cognition, affect, and behavior. It may change one's thinking, feeling, and actions, in

other words one's attitudes. Or it may further strengthen the already existing attitudes.

Media consists of print, as well as electronic media; electronic media consisting of TV, cinema and internet.

Today no other source of impacting people's mind can match the impact of electronic media, particularly

television. When TV was not introduced, or was not very commonly available, print media used to be the

major agent of attitude formation and change. Television influences one, not through the visual sensation

alone, but the auditory sensation as well.

The way men and women are portrayed on television, represents the stereotypes held in a society. Similarly the

manner in which newspapers report events also reflects the stereotypically held beliefs about men and women.

The fiction and the poetry written in a particular society, at given point in history are also an indication of the

role and status of people on the basis of their gender. The fine art created by artists at various times in history

is an indicator of how the society perceives men and women.

For example the way women were painted in the past centuries is totally different from the way women are

portrayed by the electronic media today. In the Victorian Era, for instance, there was no concept of painting

thin, under weight, female figures. A round, slightly over weight, female figure was considered to be a healthy

figure. Such figures were representative of fertility, motherhood, and affluence. Very thin bodies, of men or of

women, were considered symbols of disease or poverty. The trend is different now.

Even children's books are a source of teaching and promoting stereotypical gender roles. Modern books do

have female characters that are braver and more resourceful; friendship between boys and girls is shown more

often; however male characters still predominate; females more likely to need help and males more likely to

help (Beal, 1994; Evans, 1998).Television, since watched in every household, affects the societal attitudes at a

mass level. The sound, picture and the instant delivery of messages are the variables that make television leave a

deep, imprinting, effect on the viewers' mind, especially the young ones.

Research shows that the amount of television viewing has an effect on sexism scores of adolescent girls. In case

of girls, particularly those of middle class families, their sexism scores increased with heavy television viewing

(Morgan, 1982). The same study showed that such impact as not found in case of boys. The attitudes of boys,

who already held sexist views, and watched TV heavily, did not change by their TV watching experience.

Television delivers messages not only through the soap operas, but also through talk shows, news,

documentaries, and most importantly advertisements. Television programs promote and fortify gender-typed

beliefs and behaviors. TV watching provides an opportunity for observational learning. If the characters on TV

follow a stereotypical pattern of behavior, then the viewers are highly likely to adopt similar attitudes. This is

truer in case of children and adolescents who tend to imitate the attractive characters and models.

In this regard a natural experiment was observed in Canada. In a number of Canadian towns, TV transmission

was available for the first time. After two years of TV watching, a significant increase was found in the

traditional views of children who previously held relatively un-stereotyped views (Kimball, 1986).

Research also shows that if children watch less stereotyped or un-stereotyped roles on TV, their own views are

also un-stereotyped. In one study children watched a series of nontraditional episodes. There involved

nontraditional events, e.g., the father and son cooking together. Children watching these episodes had less

stereotyped views than those who had not watched these episodes (J. Johnston, and Ettema, 1982).

Print Media and Portrayal of Genders

Before the advent of electronic media, print media remained the major source of attitude formation. Even after

the popularity easy availability of television, the written word did not lose its effect. However in the 21st

century, the trend has shifted more and more people, especially youngsters spend most of their time with TV,

or computers. Still, the print media remains to be one of the first sources of information that a child comes in

contact with. Print media includes newspapers, books, and magazines. So called women's magazines make

women more and more conscious of their looks. These magazines make women worry about their appearance

and to strive to please men (Peirce, 1990). One negative fall out of this concern on part of women is an over

concern about their weight.

Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

The models appearing in these magazines are extremely thin; to an extent where it is not possible for most

women to match them. In extreme cases over concern about losing excess body weight may lead to eating

disorders; bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Similarly children's story books also promote stereotyped gender roles.

The hero usually being a male, the one to be rescued by him is usually a female; the wizards are male and

witches females. Media is the most forceful agent of socialization that has a direct impact on minds of the

viewers, especially those of the young and impressionable.

Portrayal of Gender in Movies

If you watch movies, whether local or from other parts of the globe, have you ever noticed how men and

women are portrayed?? ?

Do you think the depiction of gender roles in movies reflects real life situations?

To some extent may be yes!

But we know that the events, atmosphere, and gender roles shown on the silver screen are widely exaggerated.

What may bother an objective mind with a scientific approach is not the fact that commercial movies

exaggerate life and trigger fantasy above. But what is more a matter of concern is the fact that cinema is a

highly attractive, glamorous and effective medium, that presents such role models to the impressionable minds

who are far from reality. For example females' characters in movies are very different from what women are

like in real life.

One hardly finds a female lead, playing the role of a successful, professional, who is self made, and who runs

her own life and that of her children just like any able man does.

Whereas in real life we come across many such women. We really see a woman, in movies, who can rescue

someone in emergency; who can scare a robber and make him run away; who can kill a snake or even a rat;

who flies an aircraft; or who can protect herself against a rape, robbery or any other form of violence.

The heroine is most of the times the damsel in distress, and who is rescued only when the hero arrives. The

female characters are meant only, usually, for romance, dispute or marriage. Men are shown to be strong, brave,

independent, professional and wise. They never make wrong decisions. Women can not make quick decisions

in crisis; are overwhelmed by emotion and fearful and weak. If such role models are presented in the most

glamorous manner, then what will happen to young boys and girls. Cinema is a source of observational learning

with all ingredients of attitude formation. Therefore girls learn to be dependant weak, indecisive, non assertive

and confused. Boys, on the other hand learn to be self-confident, bold, daring, incharge, self-reliant and macho.

Portrayal of Gender on Television

Television being strong medium providing role models plays a vital role in teaching all sorts of behaviors.

There is no dearth of evidence suggesting that children learn violence from TV programs; same in the case with

learning gender roles. Children take TV to be a reliable, believable and trustworthy medium. TV is their major

source of information. Children obtain their information about various occupations from TV and Believe in

this information to be accurate (Greenberg, 1982). Most TV programs on the other hand portray men and

women to be indulging into stereotypical occupations (M. Harris, and Vorhees, 1981; Zuckerman and

Zuckerman, 1985). This one can see how children learn that surgery is a male profession and nursing a female

profession; university professors are mostly men and women mostly school teachers.

TV shows have traditionally depicted men and women in stereotypical manner (Signorielli and Bacue, 1999).

There is always a greater likelihood that men will be depicted as assertive, independent, and competent; women

will usually be portrayed as submissive, passive and emotional; (in other words men are shown to be in charge

of life and women in need of support).

The women on TV have to be good looking and physically attractive. It is not necessary that men on TV will

always be handsome; they may or may not be looking. But most of the women are young, attractive and sexy

(Davis, 1990).Men solve mysteries, show acts of chivallary; and when women unmark the villains, it is by mere

chance or luck or may be by accident. In case of children's programs, including cartoons, the male characters

are active, aggressive, violent and brave; female characters ore generally attractive, but dependent. Now a days

at times you come across a brave female, in command of life, as well, but not very frequently. Female

characters are mostly passive, and more likely to make mistakes; they are deferential, passive and ignored.

Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

TV commercials are one another source of promoting male and female images that may not have much to do

with reality. TV commercials have to transmit highly effective messages in a very short duration of time;

therefore designed in a manner that makes sure they leave a deep imprint on the viewers' minds. TV ads use

only most attractive females; the female model is usually shown to be bothered about trivial matters like the

whiteness of laundry, or the shine of dishes. The music channels in their videos etc. portray women as sex

objects; in turn influencing viewers' attitudes abut sexual conduct (Hansen, and Hansen, 1988; Signorielli,

1993). Research in the US shows that an average child, in a year, watches more than 20,000 TV ads (M. Macklin

and Kolbe, 1984). In one study 300 TV commercials were analyzed, the researchers reported that the difference

between male and female gender roles as depicted in these commercials was far greater than the actual

difference found in the society (Mammay and Simpson, 1981).

Research in Pakistan has revealed similar trends (Shahed, 2003). Majority of people sampled in a survey

reported that TV was portraying women as mere show pieces, as a cause of dispute and conflict, as talkative

and stupid. The subjects both men and women of all age groups felt that the way women were portrayed on

TV did not reflect real life scenario. Besides, they reported on what they felt are the characteristics of an ideal

woman and how they would like to see women on TV.

The most preferred traits by the subjects, both genders were:

i. Educated

ii. Self-confident

iii. Intelligent

iv. Binding force for the family

v. Morally strong

vi. Good looking

vii. Also brave/ not panicky in crisis

Where are the `good looks' now?? One can see that females, as portrayed on TV usually do not possess these

traits. The subjects also listed the most undesirable traits in female; the list included:

· Talkative

· Quarrelsome

· Panicky

· Uneducated

The subjects said that the wanted to see the desirable traits in women in media.

Changing Trends

The way media depicts men and women, and their roles is changing now a days.

With significant real-life changes in gender roles, media, especially TV, is also adopting a realistic path. Same is

the case with movies. However the change is not as prominent and rapid in our part of the world as it is in the

west. Most TV programs still not only promote the traditional stereotypical gender roles, but also reinforce

such views. Today we see women as working outside the home, and we also see men doing shopping or caring

for children; however, even today, life is portrayed on TV in a manner more stereotypical than life in the real

world (Coltrane, and Adams, 1997; Ruble and Martin, 1998).

Many TV ads now show professional women like bank managers or traveling sales representatives, but most

ads show women as housewives, mothers or sex objects who defer to men's needs, wishes an preferences.

When even a professional woman, who is supposed to be total incharge of her life, is shows buying something,

it is the male who helps her make the right choice. If TV programs or commercials show non- stereotyped

roles, shattering the traditional ones, it has an effect. If prime time TV programs follow this track, children

take its impact. If children watch non- stereotyped characters in major roles, their views of gender roles are

more flexible; they accept males and females in nontraditional occupations (Wroblewski and Huston, 1988). It

is high time media authorities recognized their social responsibility and take charge of initiating social change,

for which they have the strongest means that can enter into every household and every viewers' mind.

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