Gender Roles in the Media Essay - 3973 Words

From the moment they are born and wrapped in a pink or blue blanket, a childs gender is unmistakable. From this point on, they will continuously be bombarded with the socialization into their gender by many sources. One of the main sources of this socialization is media, more specifically television. The purpose of this paper is to describe gender roles and stereotypes, and to take a closer look at how the medias representation and portrayal of males and females affects children. Gender differences are the sets of attributes socially and culturally constructed on the basis of birth assignment as male or female (Creedon, 1993, p.5). When a baby is born and wrapped in a colored blanket based on their gender, one of the first†¦show more content†¦They are also more often portrayed in employment than females, and more males are shown in higher status occupations than females (Durkin, 1985, p.26). For female viewers, especially young females, this depiction of women as low ranking in society can be detrimental to their self-esteem, and can also lead females to be more self-critical. This idea is one that is easily understood when thought about through the perspective of Cultivation Theory. For girls growing up, the only role models they have, initially, are their mothers. As they become older and are exposed to media on a more regular basis, they begin to develop associations with the characters on TV. Girls, more so than boys, begin to base their ideas of who they want to be according to the characteristics of their role models. Because the character roles shown on television are so stereotypical according to gender, too much exposure to media can be dangerous for children. Research suggests that heavy television viewing contributes to sex-role development and/or reinforcement among youth (Craig, 1992, p. 112). This is because, as girls and boys watch television, they begin to believe that the characters they view are based on real life, as Cultivation Theory predicts. Children, especially young children, begin to gain their life experiences through the television instead of experiencing lifes lessonsShow MoreRelatedGender Roles And The Media867 Words   |  4 Pagessee women in the media have many roles that men have, such as, police officer, doctor and running to become president, while a nurse and teacher have emerged as both men and women jobs. Over time, the media show how gender role had changed but are what the media is showing the truth about the gender roles in the United States. Historian and scholar had written about this subject of gender roles and how the media affect our view. 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