Media’s reinforcement of gender stereotypes

Gender stereotypes are everywhere. ‘Both masculinities and femininities come into existence at
specific times and places and are always subject to change.’ (Connell, 1995: 185 cited in
Wharton, 2012: 6). The term gender is a ‘doing’ word. It is a constant, active process. A role, is
the expected behaviour which is associated with a status. Roles are performed according to
social norms, shared rules that guide people’s behaviour in specific situations.’ (The sociology
of gender). The media play a huge role, it is argued, in acculturating men and women into
separate gender roles based on their sex. Implying the idea that gender is learned and not
‘human nature’ (Jaggar, 1983) (Ross, Karen 2011).

Human behaviour is something that on a day to day basis is learned, being through our social
interactions and relationships with others. In this essay I aim to identify the influence that the
media and society depicts on the concept of gender roles and ideas which surround this topic. I
will be exploring parental influences as well as the effects of primary socialisation of Television
and toys, on children’s gender. Then to go on, in deeper detain to the way that the media
creates and emphasises the gender divisions between male and female.
Parents have an effect on the way that gender roles are formed. As early as infancy parents
influence the gendering of their children, from after birth the choice of colours for their
new-borns clothes and nursery are implemented. Pink representing girls and baby blue for boys.
Parents also exercise the use of toys and material goods, providing their sons with cars and
action figures and their daughters with Barbie dolls and fluffy cuddly toy, this almost gives
direction to the child’s choice of preference gender based for girls or boys, male or female. It is
found that parents, are far more likely to engage with their sons in rough physical play than they
are with their daughters. (McDonald, K. and R.D. Park 1986). I feel that by parents doing this it
enables their sons to adopt the more dominant role and aggressive behaviour seeming more
masculine, whereas the daughters are allowed to be more emotional, feminine and less
aggressive, which may in turn follow them in to their adult lives shaping their gender roles within
society. I have lost count of the many times I have heard friends fathers or just fathers in
general us the term ‘be a man’ in reference to their sons and trying to get them to get over
something, either hurting themselves or just being upset. Whereas on the other hand females
are as if allowed or influenced to cry and let out their emotions of how they feel at any particular
time. Where the phrase ‘you’re crying like a girl’ rings a bell.

At a young age children are quite vulnerable meaning that they are constantly learning as they
go along and through what they see. The Media is constantly portraying the division between
gender roles and the stereotype of what it means to be male and female. As a young child I
remember watching my daily cartoons with my sisters consisting of shows like ‘power puff girls’
and ‘brats dolls’ while my brother would fight us to watch ‘power rangers’ and ‘turtle ninja’s’.
Through the use of TV cartoons, children are allowed to be influenced by the gender division.
For example by watching shows such as the famous karate kid or batman some of the boys
almost take on the fighting culture seeing themselves in the characters and then copying them
practicing what they see in everyday life. Influencing competitive behaviour too. The negative
chance of this is that they carry these aggressions into adulthood as they carry this behaviour
with them. On the other hand some boys watch superman then wanting to take on the
superhero behaviour, forming how they want their character to flow and build.

Older boys are also influenced by the gender division represented by the media too where the
media such as television, music, magazines and the internet guides males to obtain a male
dominant characteristic and rebel against the idea of homosexuality deeming it as a negative
factor in society. For example through the lyrics of the songs which are emerging in the industry.
I find this quite disturbing at times to see that artists are able to put down different groups of
individuals in society and people follow this.

Men are affected daily by the image they are set out to perform. Through the media, men are
taught to be ultra-masculine by being desensitized, violent, and physically strong. Katz, J.
(2002). Through the use of other media forms such as adverts. The idea of the ultra-masculine
figure is emphasised. For example the use of beer commercials, this allows men to feel
positioned to oppress other men if they feel that they do not fit in to the particular stereotype of
the hetero-masculinity vision. (Strate, L. 2004) ‘Researchers have found that men and women
are typically portrayed advertising gender specific items when it comes to the media, men with
alcohol, vehicles, or business products, while women tend to be associated with domestic
products’ (Gill, 2007). I have found that this is a constant reminder for people the role that
society has set out for them to play. And it is clear the way in which society represents men in
comparison to women, male stream being everything in society is in favour of men. This
feminists may argue. Some of the studies indicate that widespread objectification of women in
the media may have significant repercussions on society, such as low self-esteem and/or eating
disorders among women. (Greening, Kacey D. 2004).
Conclusion

Ross, K. (2012). The handbook of gender, sex, and media. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.

Chafetz, J. (1999). Handbook of the sociology of gender. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum
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Greening, Kacey D. "The Objectification and Dismemberment of Women in the Media."

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Mcdonald, K. and R.D. Park (1986). Parent-child physical play, Sex Roles, Vol.15, pp.367-378
Kimmel, Michael. Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men . New York :
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Katz, J. (2002) 8 Reasons Why Eminem’s Popularity is a Disaster for Women.
Strate, L. (2004) “Beer Commercials: A manual for masculinity” in Kimmel, M. S., & Messner
(Eds.), M. A. Men 's Lives (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. pp. 533-543.