Sexism in the Media - Essay Example

Sexism in the media Almost every country, notwithstanding its levels of civilization, struggles, to some extent, with gender stereotypes. Though efforts are made to ensure the situation is changed, the process is not as easy as it would be expected. The portrayal of one gender in a negative way does little to unite the society, and instead, negative perceptions continue to thrive. Sadly, the media, which is a powerful tool in the setting of social norms, does not help to curb the vice. Actually, the media continue to perpetuate these stereotypes thus stalling the fight significantly. Even though both genders suffer some form of stereotyping, the female one is undoubtedly the most affected. From Television shows to magazine covers depicting women in many negative ways, yet it is often seen and justified as a form of entertainment. The purpose of this paper is to highlight some of the TV shows portraying women as the ones who ought to be in the kitchen always and assess the sexism therein. It has become a generally accepted lie that women are the ones who ought to work and remain in the kitchen. Even though it is almost in every culture that many women take up the duty of cooking, it should never be portrayed as though it is their onus. In the 2001 American TV series, 30-minute meals, Rachel Ray, the host, explains how one can prepare food in 30 minutes or less. While there is no negative depiction in this show, the fact that it only hosted by a woman shows a confirmation of the society’s perception toward women. According to Djeric and Studen, (p.457) social norms start forming when an attitude is promoted repeatedly. In this case, when the media keep on having more women hosting cooking shows than men, it becomes inevitable for such stereotypes to thrive. In addition, unless there is resistance on the stereotyped gender, the society will not even see any stereotypes. In many TV shows whether cooking or simply comedies there is nothing to show the participating women are uncomfortable. Because of this portrayal of women as being comfortable and capable of cooking better than men, the society tends to view it as part of the culture. Consequently, the stereotypes are solidified not because the society is consciously approving the trend, but because the media seems to not only justify, but also reward them. Therefore, the media could be said to fuel sexism in women, more than the society by failing to analyze the impact the shows has on the public. Even though a TV show might simply seem comedy or harmless, as long as there is a presence of a stereotype, it harms the society. In the mentioned TV show, it is not a comedy but simply a show meant to help many in the society. However, the fact that there is no involvement of a man could be interpreted that only women can cook the best. Armstrong and Nelson (p.820) asserted that stereotypes have three major sources: parents, teachers and the media. When growing up, many in the families have women as the ones tasked with cooking. After that, the school insinuates, through depictions of images, that the duties of women include cooking. The perception is compounded by the shows aired on TV thus confirming the perception on women. As long as the cooking shows often hosted on TVs continue to depict men as poor cooks in comparison to women, eradicating stereotypes might be impossible. In another TV show, The Kitchen, there are two female hosts, but only one male. While there is seemingly nothing negative in the show, Glăveanu (n.p.) argues that perceptions are derived from occurrences that are portrayed often. That is to say, the viewers will draw inferences from shows even when there is a positive motive. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that TV shows that seem promote women oblivious of the other side, analyze the perceptions and inferences the viewers draw from them. Further, perceptions and stereotypes can be broken by having programs that challenge the previously promoted negative vices. As noted, stereotypes are passed on through the media, parents or schools. However, Goidel, Freeman and Procopio (p.119) argued that the media remains the most powerful of all because it surrounds people more than the other two. The implication, then, is that whatever is constantly portrayed and justified on the media becomes virtually acceptable by the society. Thus in order to change the stereotypes, changing the content in the media remains the most convenient and impactful way to reduce stereotypes. Apparently, because people learn and embrace a lot from the media, the same platform could be used to correct the wrongs that have thrived for long. In order to deal with the stereotypes, the media has to recognize the confidence the public has on it, and ensure it works to have a positive impact on them through programming. It has been argued that the media either ignores or does not realize that the public relies on it on almost everything. Besides news, the entertainment carried through the media acts as another source of deriving habits and the formation of attitudes (Glăveanu n.p.). Ironically, the media often cites its choice of programs as the demand from the public. However, failure to understand that the media sets the norm in the society more than the public leaves the public to air anything as long as it has been demanded. As a result, the escalation of these stereotypes becomes inevitable, leading to a general acceptance of an erroneous culture. Acceptance by the public is another reason the stereotypes keep thriving despite the outcry from the many organization focused on fighting the vice. The two TV shows mentioned have been renewed for several seasons meaning there is a public demand for the same. While the public may be demanding mainly for information purposes, the underlying stereotype issue remains unresolved. Because of this reluctance by the media coupled with the disinterest by the public to scrutinize the impact of stereotypes on the media, it becomes somewhat complicated to deal with stereotypes (Glăveanu n.p.). For that reason, the issue of stereotype can fought if the media plays the crucial role of avoiding these programs, and with the help of the public. The reason stereotypes tend to remain unresolved is that the most influential tool, the media, takes a non-involvement position. In many countries, the media is viewed as the as an important part of the society where norms, attitudes and subsequent characters are derived from. Hence, anything that the media seems to agree with is taken as acceptable regardless of the negative implications. On the other hand, because some of the bodies fighting against the vices have no strong platform as the media, the latter’s impact overshadows the former’s reasoning (Glăveanu n.p.). In other words, the media is right at the center of this stereotype, and the only way to deal with it is avoiding the airing of programs with sexism, no matter now insignificant it be thought to be. For a woman to be depicted as the one either deserving or better to be in kitchen in the media will have negative future consequences. Today, the TV shows might seem as entertainment, but since attitudes eventually lead to behavior formation, the stereotypes could replicate in the real-life. Even though there has been an intense debate on how impactful the media is on the people’s behavior, there is ample evidence to support significant impact. Goidel et al (p.121) argued that in almost all cases happening in the society- gun crimes, kidnapping and even rapes- the media has contributed in some ways. For instance, in some cases the culprits have employed similar tactics as the ones depicted in the media. Therefore, when it comes to the portrayal of women as the ones to be in the kitchen, this will imminently manifest in the real life in a rather negative way. Worth pointing out here is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the women being in the kitchen; the problem arises when sexism is promoted. In comedies and even talks shows, there is a perception the media creates as showing women as the ones always in the kitchen and men as poor cooks. If the programs focused primarily on informing the public, there would be minimal or no cases of stereotypes. However, this is seldom the case, and instead, comedies that always portray one gender in a bad light exist. Worse still, when such a program is highly rated, more of the same continue to be produced hence worsening the situation. According to Rudolph and Baltes (p.425), it is easier to change the society through the media programs than any other admonition. Therefore, the media could change remedy the situation by allowing only the programs that steer clear of stereotypes. Programs that show them to lack necessary skills for success but only the cooking ones often overshadow the potential of women. Despite the long list of women who have succeeded in various careers, the media hardly highlights such achievements. Instead, the media is filled with comedies and TV series that seek to portray the women as capable of succeeding at preparing meals. Again, it is here that the media has to weigh the options between the public demand and the right social norms to set. Where the latter is compromised, the society inevitably suffers because the media tends to have a significant impact regarding the trends adopted by the society (Rudolph and Baltes p.423; Kaufman and Sumerson p.1). In yet another recent TV program, American Odyssey, several scenes somehow portray the female characters in sexism manner. For instance, the character of Sarah Decker played by Sarah Wynter has several scenes where she is seen in the kitchen. In fact, two of the three times the character appears in the first episodes, the husband, Peter Decker, finds Wynter in the kitchen. Interestingly, Wynter is not only the one cooking and serving the family the responsibility of advising the children is hers too. As for the Peter, the scene shows him to be a busy person who is clueless on the kitchen matters. While this program is not related to cooking, it nevertheless confirms the same sexism for women as the ones in the kitchen. In the same program but in a different scene, Ron Ballard character played by Jim True-Frost has supposedly lost the wife, Odelle Ballard who was supposedly killed while fighting abroad. The initial report, confirmed by the military officials, is that Odelle was killed, though in essence that is untrue. Ballard has a young daughter who is not convinced of the government’s reports. Sexism in this scene appears in a number of ways including the struggles that Ballard evidences in the matters of cooking. While at the kitchen preparing meals for the daughter, Ballard seems to struggle with the cooking task. Additionally, the daughter seems disinterested in the food and cites the supposed loss of the mother as the reason. From these scenes, one can realize that the social norms have become deeply rooted in the minds of many people in the society. Even though not many realizes these impact these scenes have on the society, it is evident they are taken as acceptable. There are no complaints about some of the scenes in this and other films from the gender organizations. The reason for this is that not many see anything negative with the scenes. It is not that the scenes are harmless; rather it is because the society has accepted some of the things commonly done in the movies. As earlier indicated, whenever the media repeatedly portrays certain things as acceptable, the society tends to embrace the same. Sexism in this program is not just directed toward women as evidenced by the reaction of Odelle’s daughter. Even though the father is an adult, the child hardly takes the meal prepared by the Ballard. Surprisingly, the father hardly makes any effort to persuade the child otherwise, thus confirming weakness in the task. Earlier it was asserted that two-thing drive the issue of sexism: the media and the acceptance by the society. Here, there is evidence that the character of Ballard acknowledges of weakness in the area of cooking. In essence, the admission is that only women can cook better. Clearly, sexism might continue to thrive unless both sides, the media and the society, works together in the elimination of the vice. The assertions above are informed by the fact that the society is often seen as the major determinant of the content the media produces. On the other hand, the society points the finger at the media stating that had the content not been aired, there would be less demand. However, so far, the paper has clearly shown that both have a significant role to play since each relies on the other. That is to say, the media relies heavily on the content that attracts high viewership while the public constantly views that which is presented. Therefore, the sexism in the media, specifically in the shows, can easily be eliminated by the society’s pressure to the media to desist from airing such content, and the media understanding just how important its role is in the society. Further sexism in this TV series is confirmed by Ballard when an impression is created that because Odelle is absent, cooking would be somewhat hard. This scene happens when Ballard’s daughter is briefly hospitalized after taking some drinks with Julia. While checking the daughter at the hospital, Ballard meets Julia where a proposal for a dinner is made. The two agree that since cooking is not possible, presumably due to Odelle’s absence, a dinner at a restaurant would be ideal. Again, the two characters, whether unknowingly or otherwise, set an example of how society feels toward women. Worse still, by avoiding cooking because Odelle who is a woman, is not at home creates that impression of sexism. Throughout the film, other scenes do not portray women as capable of achieving the same with men. Blackmail happening in the film shows the woman to be the loser while the man emerges victorious except in the case of Odelle. This is one of the many films where a woman is portrayed as deserving to be in the kitchen always, and when not there things just cannot work. While some would argue that such scenes portray the strengths of women, it could be labeled as sexism for a number of reasons. First, there is little indication of success in other areas. Secondly, the portrayal is done in a positive way; many films are simply silent. To sum it up, stereotypes have a pernicious effect on the society no matter the platform on which it thrives. Often, because the public demands entertainment, the media fails to analyze the long-term results some programs will have on the society. Because of the seemingly harmlessness in these programs the public continues to consume oblivious of the future impact. The TV shows that portray women fitting and deserving to be in the kitchen always negatively affect the society. Programs like the ones mentioned in this paper have the potential to impart the young people negatively such that dealing with the vice might become almost impossible in the future. Work cited Armstrong, C. L., and M. R. Nelson. How Newspaper Sources Trigger Gender Stereotypes. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 82.4 (2005): 820-823. Djeric, Ivana, and Rajka Studen. Stereotypes In Media And Media Literacy Among Young People. Zb. - Inst. pedagos. istraz. (Beogr.) 38.2 (2006): 456-459. Glăveanu, Vlad. Stereotypes Revised – Theoretical Models, Taxonomy and the Role Of Stereotypes. Europe’s Journal of Psychology 3.3 (2007): n. pag. Goidel, Robert K., Craig M. Freeman, and Steven T. Procopio. The Impact Of Television Viewing On Perceptions Of Juvenile Crime. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 50.1 (2006): 119-122. Kaufman, James C., and Joanne Broder Sumerson. Editors’ Introduction To The 2015 Special Issue, Gender Stereotypes In The Media.. Psychology of Popular Media Culture 4.1 (2015): 1-1. Rudolph, Cort W., and Boris B. Baltes. Mitigating The Impact Of Stereotypes Is More Practical Than Holding People Accountable For Them. Ind Organ Psychol 6.4 (2013): 423-424 Read More