How does the gender stereotype in the mass media affect the society - Essay Example

According to Casey, Calvert, French & Lewis (2002), gender stereotypes can be defined as the generalizations made in relation to specific genders in the society. For instance, in relation to media, women and men have different perceptions on the same. Additionally, Casey, Calvert, French & Lewis (2002) indicate that gender stereotypes are generalizations that relate to different gender roles between men and women. It is however noted that the gender stereotypes may be misleading in one way or another.

In the television for example, the kind of gender stereotypes is lofty, since the women are termed as minorities, and are not covered effectively in the news. This happens especially to women of low cultural groups who receive minimal media coverage. In the case of media coverage, the stories covered are at times too negative and unrealistic. In this case, is justified to say that the media has created a lot of myths, regarding the genders. Positively, men impersonate the mass media by displaying the wisdom to succeed and venture into the media industry.

Most specifically, the handsome men have been regarded as the heroes of the media industry. The men have a way of portraying their dominance and masculinity in the media industry, with the aim of dominating the entire industry. In the case of the television and movie stars, men are always quick to show their prowess, confidence and ability to succeed. The male gender, in this case has been depicted as a person who aims at portraying their vitality in the media industry. Since the men are mostly older than the women, they always want to show their dexterity.

The media has managed to bring out the prowess of the males especially in the sports industry. In this case, the men have made numerous attempts to dominate the media. In many instances the men have been drawn as doing activities that portray violence, at times they are