Feminism Representation in Media - Essay Example

Gender Representation and Media By Lecturer’s and All societies all over the world are structured ina way that they are relatively stable and will produce a pattern in which people will interact. Status is the major element that arranges such social structures and manages the social interaction. In simple terms, it is the position that an individual holds or occupies that will determine how he or she will be treated by persons in the society (HOCKS & KENDRICK, 2003). Status is gotten by achievement, one’s own efforts or by attribution, being born into them or attaining them in voluntary at a given point in the life cycle. One can occupy more than one attribute a process known as the status set, for example, as mother, daughter, attorney, patient, employee and passenger. The ascribed status is different from acquired status in that ascribed impact virtually and immediately on any aspect of life of an individual. These include gender, race and social class. Status is a position in the social system that one should not confuse with ranks or prestige. Prestige can either be high or low. For example, a physician will be ranked with a higher prestige rank than a teacher or a secretary in United States. Due to these statuses, identification and ranking social stratification has come up. There is no society known whose woman’s status has been ranked more than that of man. Role is an expected behaviour associated with the status. It is what an individual represents in the society. These are usually performed according to social norms, shared rules that guide behaviour of people in specific situations. Fathers and mothers, male and female, sons and daughters, are all statuses with different normative role requirements of them attached. Social norms and artefacts dictate the responsibilities and the privileges that are attached to these statuses (KIRSCH, 1999). For example, the role of a father is that he is viewed as the bread winner, whereas a mother is expected to love, nature, self-sacrifice, home make and be available. Some societies today allow for flexibility of the roles due to the rapid changes taking place in our society. This has created a lot of uncertainty and a normlessness society due to state of flux. This is because the traditional norms are fading away and are being replaced by new ones. For example, today in the labour market gender impacting issues have come up significantly leading to increased women. Women therefore today play both the roles of mothers and employee as they are required to be at home for her role as a mother and later be at work to perform her duties. Key Concept for the Sociology of Gender The key components of social structures involve statuses and roles that allow us to organize our lives in consistent, expected ways. All these, together with the established norms and values in the society allow us to make good interactions with different persons who occupy different statuses whether they are familiar to us or not. Sometimes behavioural role is usually rigidly defined such that stereotyping is developed. A common belief that persons with given status behave in similar way as they have the same traits. Stereotyping is mostly related with the same traits that are negative. The statuses of male and female are usually stereotyped by virtue of their common behaviours (HOCKS & KENDRICK, 2003). Women are usually stereotyped as flirty and unreliable, and they contain given hormones that are uncontrollable and more so unpredictable and also very emotional. This has caused a lot of discrimination against women. As a result sexism has come up. Male dominated societies have come up leading to oppression of women. In this, the male-centred norms are today operating all over the institution. This becomes worse when the biological status of an individual is used to determine their roles in terms of gender. For instance, in developing worlds they have a notion that women are unsuitable for any other role rather than that of domestic ones, and as a result restricted educational opportunities and that chance to gain literacy. On the other hand, men have been regarded guardians and this has gained deep roots in the society on matters regarding women’s and men’s roles in the society. This has created a view that inequality is inevitable and inescapable. Distinguishing Sex and Gender With technology, scientific researches and media, issues on gender have mainstreamed and thereby confusion related to the terms gender and sex has highly reduced. Sex is a term used to describe biological characteristics that differentiate male and female. In this, the difference is seen in terms of chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, reproductive system, and other physiological components. On the other hand, gender can be described in terms of the social, cultural and physiological traits that are associated with males and females. In simple terms, sex is what makes us male or females while on the other hand, gender is what makes an individual to be masculine or feminine. Sex is an ascribed status by birth whereas gender is learned. Gender can be viewed in terms of characteristic that an individual learns and show over a given period regardless of the person’s biological sex. Sociological perspective on Gender Representation In sociology, gender representation is determined and explained in several theoretical perspectives, general ways in which research is conducted and results interpreted. It is worth noting that theory is an explanation and that this can be either formal or informal. In the formal theory, there is logical interrelated information that explains the empirical part of it (KIRSCH, 1999). A good example is that on research conducted, it shows that two women as compared to men are likely to be segregated to low paying jobs. This offers few opportunities to women as compared to men into professional jobs and more to grow and advance. In addition, in United States data shows that women’s work performed at their homes are more valued than those that they perform at their place of work. Due to the fact that this issue on gender crosses very many perceptions, they can be explained using the theoretical part of it. These fields include biology, physiology and anthropology. All these fields offer information related to gender related behaviours and attitudes. Macro-sociological perspective is one of the fields that focus on data that has been collected in large scale social occurrence. These include areas such as education, labour force and political trends differentiated in terms of gender representation and roles (HOCKS & KENDRICK, 2003). Micro-sociological perspective on the other hand deals with data that has been collected in small groups and focuses on the direct relation to gender. A good example is data concerning couples and families and peer groups. Therefore, to achieve the best about gender and to create a good understanding, all the perspectives should be combined. Functionalism This is also referred to as structural functionalism. It is a macro-sociological perspective in which an assumption that society is made up of inter-dependent parts and that each part contributes to the functioning of the society as a whole. This perspective tries to identify some basic elements of society, and the contributions and functions that they play in meeting the basic social needs. In this it takes into consideration each element’s suitability, balance and equilibrium. The assumption is that a disrupted society can be restored back to equilibrium. The social control and stability is achieved when people share beliefs and values that are common to all. Values consensus is the key factor of determination in this perspective. Values and norms that surround roles, marriage, gender and family are the key issues to be considered. Functionalists are of the view that preindustrial social equilibrium was maintained by having different representation of men and women in different tasks. For example, in the hunting and gathering and subsistence farming conducted in the society, representation in terms of gender was very a necessary tool (SHOWALTER, 1985). For example, men hunted and hence their responsibility was to bring food home while the role of women was limited to pregnancy, childbirth, nursing and more domestic chores. Girls would continue with this domestic work until when they reached the age in which they are regarded as adults while boys would go into the hunting and bring food on the table. The division of work therefore became widely used all over the world. Despite the fact that women were gatherers on their own way, they highly depended on men for food and protection. In this regard, the activities of men are now more valued than that of women. In a contemporary society, the same principle applied on those of preindustrial societies that when there is social imbalance then it can be returned into equilibrium. In this society, disruption is minimized, harmony maximized and more so, benefits are achieved when the spouses are properly represented and assume their roles in a family set up. The husband, who is the father in the family, assumes the instrumental responsibility and therefore should maintain the integrity of the family by providing for the wife, who is the mother, all the basic needs and more so, linking their family outside. In case of deviation from these roles, the family will be imbalanced, there would be conflict, and the family unit is likely to break up. This is a very challenging perspective in that, there are frequent and dramatic changes in the 21st century and these roles are likely to conflict. Conflict Theory This theory is on the assumption on issues concerning social order and social change, micro-sociological perspective conflict theory. This is very different from a factionalist who believes that social order is maintained through the value of consensus as this theory asserts that it is preserved involuntary by the use of power of an individual’s social class as compared to another (KIRSCH, 1999). Marx, Engels and Social Class are the ones that originate from the work of Karl Marx. It works on the assumption that society is a stage on which struggles for power and dominance are brought out by different individuals. In this perspective, different social classes struggle to remain in a given class using the limited resources. In this, a class tends to have control over a give resource. These resources include such things as food, money, and land among others (KIRSCH, 1999). In these, the social class that own the resources are the capitalist. Their major aim is to have control over their subordinates and more so, make maximum profits since they are the owners of industries and critical resources. Basing this on the data, Marx described the family in terms of gender representation. In his explanation, he uses the servant-master relationship or exploiter- exploited relationship to explain the broader society. In primitive societies, there are more egalitarian since there are not the real owners of the factor of production. People take what they produce. In this perspective, mans superiority is not questioned at all by the wife. On the other hand, contemporary conflict theory is moving in an egalitarian direction. Conflict theory largely asserts the social structure is based on the dominance of some groups in the society over others, and that some share common interests (MCDOWELL, 1995). Conflict is not only on the employee-employer relation, but its on a more wider level even on other groups such as parents and children, husbands and wives, the young and old, the sick and healthy, people of colour and whites, heterosexuals and gays, females and males, and any other group that can be differentiated as minority or majority according to the amount of possession of resources. Terms of gender and family conflict theory focus on social assignment functions of family and that puts down people at birth. People opportunist enough to be deposited in rich families will work to preserve existing inequality and the power relations in the broader society because they clearly benefit from the overall power imbalance. In this, social class and inheritance ensures that there is balance in the wealth and that it is kept in the few powerful families (SHOWALTER, 1985). The belief of inequality and power imbalance became institutionalized. The notion is that those born poor remain poor because they do not have the skills and talent to work. The structural conditions causing poverty are ignored in within the society. Social placement occurs through patriarchal and matrilineal system causing wealth to concentrate on the hands of males leading to women to suffer further, be neglected and become poor. Therefore, it is true to say that when a woman has the ability to earn salary, she is well represented in the society and more so strengthened in the family set up and therefore leading to more egalitarian arrangements. It is evident that the household responsibilities have a lot of effect on the occupational location, work experience, and the number of hours worked which are all linked to the gender gap in earnings (MCDOWELL, 1995). The gap increases since the homemaker who is the wife performs all the house chores which constitute no payment. However, the conflict theory has been criticized on its bases. Critiques say that the theory places a lot of emphasis on the economic imbalances in the society and the inevitable competition in the family set up. It disregards highly on the consensus between man and woman on the social and family responsibilities and tasks. In addition, it is true that the household task and responsibilities for women who are employed does not reduce their employment salaries and remunerations at all. Symbolic interaction This is also referred to as interaction perspective. This highly brings out the male-female representation in the society. It focuses on the interaction of individual in the micro-level. This bases its argument that social interaction is a dynamic and not static process in which people in the society continually modify from time to time. These changes occur due to the high rates of interaction between individuals. In this, it is true to say that people do not respond directly to their surrounding, but to the meaning the surrounding brings to them. In this regard, reality is what persons in the society and different institutions believe to be reality. Therefore, people will react to a given situation on the basis of how they perceive it, understand it and more so the meaning it brings out to them. On this matter, how an individual views the other person in the interaction process plays a vital role in the society (MCDOWELL, 1995). Therefore, the process in which social behavior develops is a continuous process and a never ending-cycle. This explains the inconsistencies in people’s behaviors as one move from one setting to another setting. Social construction of reality explains the symbolic interaction at a micro-level perspective. However, it is worth noting that it does not take into consideration that social interaction is governed and controlled by the social norms largely determined by culture. Instead, it asserts that individual have latitude in the way they perform their roles in accordance to the individuals representation in the society. In this regard, what could be appropriate in one context can be very inappropriate in another context. Therefore, individuals should work out their variance with a lot of care in all their undertakings. The context of interaction is usually very important in the role and representation in the society. It is worth noting that norms are modified during the interaction process among individuals and it brings out what the individual values and more so, brings out the meaning of life and the world to them. Therefore, symbolic interaction is that process in which an individual tries to bring out the social construction of reality (KIRSCH, 1999). In the symbolic interaction, the process in which people are differentiated in terms of gender, race and ethnicity does not exist. This only comes out as a result of social interaction that leads to social construction process. This brings out the meaning of male and female as these individuals are endowed with given characteristic leading to either masculinity or femininity. Therefore, in this perspective it is true that gender emerges as a result of interaction among the people. In this, people are said to be doing gender (MCDOWELL, 1995). In this, symbolic interaction takes its way from those who developed a given way of behaving to social interaction. Therefore, just like actors in stage, individual use different strategies to express their favorable light to others on the way they would like to be considered in the social representation. In media such as prime time television, this concept is depicted. Traditional scripted sexual encounters according to beliefs and gender about heterosexuality that bring out the differences between men and women are usually brought out clearly. The difference between heterosexual and homosexual men is also brought out. Despite this, the many differences in gender scripted rules and procedures are usually laid down, negotiated and acted upon in bars, meetings places for singles and witnessed by the television viewers all over the world. Gender representations in terms of their roles are guided by scripts designed for males and the others designed for females. Despite the fact that these allow range of behaviors, it forms a pattern of between-sex competition, rejection and emotional segregation. These are usually strengthened as we routinely refer to the other as opposite sex. In this regard, men and women refer themselves as opposites of who they are. Behaviors therefore focus more on separation other than connecting genders. On the other hand, doing difference come up in the interaction process in different institution. From different researches conducted in different institutions such as schools, work and volunteers, it is evident that doing difference comes up. In schools for example all the way from early childhood these groups are normally differentiated or segregated (SHOWALTER, 1985). In the process, subculture develops leading to gender differences strengthening in the society eroding the common ground of intimacy, status-equal friendship between genders formed. In the process, differences are usually mostly seen more than the similarities of which they can be acted upon. In the workplace, cross-cultural gender social interaction is likely to take place and in the process, men and women are likely to take same statuses with the same levels of prestige and powers. In the same breathe, social construction occur leading to the process in which individual with more powers, who are men to come up while those with less power, who are women. This brings about inequality in the society. Symbolic interaction however does not take into consideration macro-level processes in the process of bringing out the understanding of gender. This limits the choice of actions and directs people to engage in gender actions that matches what they would prefer doing. Micro-level social interaction causes a lot of cultural influx in the society. However, these are very important determinants of behaviors in the society (SHOWALTER, 1985). A good example is that in some cultures women and men are dictated by both law and custom to engage in certain professions, enter into marriages with people who will not have been their choice, and be restricted from attending school to gain some level of literacy. This has continued to bring misrepresentation in societies leading to increased levels of difference between men and women. To bring out the misrepresentation of women and challenge the status quo of disadvantageous women, feminist sociological theory has put out the important factors to consider. This theory not only bridges the gap between the micro and macro gap but also has brought the light to the bias that existed in the broader society and the field of sociology. This theory takes into consideration and in collaboration the conflict theory and symbolic interaction. In the conflict theory it explained that structured social inequality is maintained by ideologies that are often acceptable by the privileged and the oppressed (SHOWALTER, 1985). In this perspective, these ideologies are only erased at that time when the oppressed have the powers and resources necessary to do so. Feminist theory focuses women and their capabilities to accumulate resources from different sources in their own life i.e. micro-level and through social and political ways i.e. macro-levels. The major aim of feminist is to empower women so that they can have control over their own destinies. This has come as a result of unequal representation of women in different fields resulting to women being ruled by men in many settings. In this perspective, a good example is a situation in which corporate women who to be promoted need to practice intuition management based on acceptable gender role conduct of their corporate setting, but at the same time they need to maintain a sense of personal integrity. The feminist perspective therefore brings out ways to empower these corporate women by clarifying the relationship between the label of “feminine” (symbolic interaction) and how these women are judged by peers and by themselves. Therefore, feminism can be considered to be a movement to end oppression and misrepresentation of women (KIRSCH, 1999). To achieve this goal of eradication of women misrepresentation and oppression, feminism uses the women’s perceptions and experiences to formulate the best strategies. In the process, it embraces the different political goals that offer gender equality. The American women are on the good side as feminism campaign has done them good since it has altered their life. It is through empowerment passivity that open and critical debate has hit the media between feminists and those who are for or against feminism. Such debates are very vital since they bring out the importance of the empowerment by stimulating and rejuvenating the process. Portrayals of Feminism; Media has played a lot of roles in the process in gender role stereotyping leading to different outcomes in the gender balance and representation. Both feminist concurrence and the feminist significance of disagreement are ignored or ridiculed not only in conservative media, but also throughout mainstream, cable news, and entertainment media leading to increased gap between women and men representation in all the institutions in form of power distance. These depictions by media on women is a bad show that disregard women and more so fuel their oppression in the society as the media continue to propel the stereotype about feminism. Media has brought a picture into the public on matters concerning the feminism in such a way that they are so far apart such that they are not irreconcilable (MCLAUGHLINL & CARTER, 2013). This is strengthened by news format, entertainment shows that women have already attained political parity and legal parity with men and therefore because women have nothing to fight for they now fight by themselves and therefore give a show of disagreement among themselves. In addition, media give the information to the public that feminism is puritanical as man-hating, lesbians or butch, take unfair advantage of men at their workplace and more so control men at their homes (OTT & MACK, 2010).For example, Prime time television series show feminists in pessimistic and highly stereotyped ways. Jokes ridicule feminists about their appearance, sexuality and love life, and how they control their children and husbands are common especially in the morning and evening shows. Boys who shore up assertive girls fear homophobic persons casting doubts about their masculinity. Young women and teens are often the major objects of chauvinist jokes. Prejudice is toughened by the sneering statements about feminists made routinely by the admired and pretty characters in the shows (MCLAUGHLINL & CARTER, 2013). Given the power of the media to construct gender roles, it is easier said than done for young women and men who may make out with feminism in attitude to do so in public. It is very unfortunate that racist comments are unacceptable and illegal in the media and entertainment while sexism is acceptable and normal. Despite all the challenges faced in feminism strategies a lot has been achieved in women empowerment and representation. This is evident with the women now given a chance to contest for high offices and posts in government, and in the workforce. A good example is Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin among others (OTT & MACK, 2010). Reference List HOCKS, M. E., & KENDRICK, M. R. (2003). Eloquent images word and image in the age of new media. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=100067 SAUNDERS, K. (2002). Feminist post-development thought: rethinking modernity, post-colonialism & representation. London, Zed. KIRSCH, G. (1999). Ethical dilemmas in feminist research the politics of location, interpretation, and publication. Albany, State University of New York Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=5661. MCDOWELL, D. E. (1995). "The changing same" black womens literature, criticism, and theory. Bloomington, Ind, Indiana University Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=23130. MCLAUGHLIN, L., & CARTER, C. (2013). Current perspectives in feminist media studies. London, Routledge. OTT, B. L., & MACK, R. L. (2010). Critical media studies: an introduction. Chichester, U.K., Wiley-Blackwell. SHOWALTER, E. (1985). The New feminist criticism: essays on women, literature, and theory. New York, Pantheon. Read More