How the Media Influences our Views on Gender - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... The media has a great influence on people’s behavior. It is not until it highlights a new product in the market, that people are aware that they need it. It is the basis of discrimination of women in the society. The media should enlighten the society on how to differentiate between sex and gender. 1Sex is the biological difference between males and female while gender is the difference between the male and female personality, masculinity and femininity. It should also change how it views the female species as weak and dependent on the male figures in the society. 2This is because it has greatly contributed to how society treats girls and women, and actually led to their accepting the ordeal. This paper discusses the various ways the media has influenced the society into treating the females in the wrong manner, and making women view the act as a normality. It takes a strong stand against this action and suggests ways in which the media can influence the society in changing this negative perception on women. Underestimation of Women 3There is evidence of female sidelining in the media hence evidence of gender imbalance across the media. This is because in the popular screen of the media, females are not as prevalent as the males. The ratio of male to female characters in the popular entertainment media is approximately 2.53 to 1. The gender ratio however varies from one racial group to another; for example among the blacks, the female prevalence in family film is approximately 30.2%, while for the Caucasian is 29.2%. The female sidelining aspect is evident in all programs, including the children’s shows and prime-time programs. Most of the children do not consistently see female figures in the comedies and shows they watch....
Most of the children do not consistently see female figures in the comedies and shows they watch. This is a great influence on them since it affects their opinion of women in the society. They end up associating most of the occupations they learn through the films and comedies to men and boys hence limiting the capability of women in the society. There are unequal job opportunities in the media. 6The men have 60.8% chances of employment while the females have a probability that is lower than 50%. This reflects on the views the media has on the female species in the society as incompetent. They lead the public into believing that women are not entitled to equal rights as men since they are inadequate in delivery of service. Although 47% of women comprise the U.S labor, according to 2011 statistics, the percentage of women working in the media is approximately 30%. In economic crisis, women have a higher chance of the company laying them than the men. This shows that the media finds the views of women of lower value than those of men. 7In family films, few females take the top executive roles such as President of a company, Presidents and CEOs. There are, however, no females that take up the role of chief justice, a member of the journalism team, or in the financial sector. This demonstrates to the viewers that women are not handling duties that have a high level of responsibility. The prime time, however, is taking a different perspective on the role of women in the society. It allocates positions of power to the feminine characters hence portraying powerful women in the society. Although it has taken a step in showing that women can handle positions of power, the number of prime-time males is higher than that ...Download file to see next pagesRead More