Discussion on Gender Representation in Media

The misleading and ubiquitous representation of gender in the media have several consequences on society, among other things, the stereotyping of both genders that stem from the misinformation spread by their representation in the media. The consequence that may caused by the gender representation on the media is stereotype. Both genders will be labeled to act certain way; males have to be strong while women are labeled to be a soft kind of person. This influences the way in which society itself looks upon both genders and treats them accordingly. However, this representation is not true at all. One of the reasons for the change in this representation is that women and men are created equal. Social positions have changed so that women are no longer just housewives and mothers, but also workers and decision-makers, and media representations reflect this.

In conclusion, the message that can be conclude from this representation is that women and men are both equal. They do not have to act in a certain way, they both can express themselves however they want and be who they want to be. The media is not representing the real world. The media wants them to see what the media want both genders to see about the 'real' world. There is no objectivity, except the 'subjectivity' itself.

On Representation of Gender in The Media

Representation of genders in the 20th century, and to some extent until today, in media reflected and caused the dominance of patriarchal culture. The media acts as an agency of social control that reinforces social and cultural expectations on both men and women, with an emphasis on the latter, to ensure conformity to patriarchal norms and values. These expectations are different for males and females. While males are portrayed as the breadwinner, strong, independent, logical, and aggressive beings, women are represented as submissive, fragile, dependent, and emotional subordinate to men. Women are also more likely to be judged based on her physique, rather than the contents of her character.

 

Although the end of a major suffragette women in the US in 1920 was regarded as a major victory by liberals and feminists alike as american women finally had the right to vote, women were rarely viewed as strong, independent, and capable enough to stand on their own. It was not until 1941, in the middle of the Second World War, that the representation of gender shifted heavily in the media, particularly that of women.

While american men and boys were drafted in droves to fight in the war, women at home were encouraged to work in factories and manufacturing plants to fuel the gigantic american war economy. Tons of shipments of munitions, equipments, and weaponry that made it to the frontline helped the war effort overall. Across the ocean, in Europe, women often joined with the Red Army or the various resistance groups that disrupt the Axis war effort. The significant role women had in WW2 changed their representation in the media forever, albeit not completely. In western countries, women are never seen anymore as the complete subordinate of men; the war had changed that.

 

The way in which women are represented in the media have largely changed since the post-war era. This in turn weaken one of the foundation of the structure of the patriarchal society: The portrayal of women as a weak, delicate, homemaker who answer to men. This shift lead to many changes in western societies where women now have more life chances and opportunities to improve their social and economical standing in society. Though unfortunately in modern media, representation of women as 'eye candies' and their objectivisation still holds a great deal of presence in the media. It is notably common in video games, where some game character designers intentionally design female characters so as to make them more presentable and pleasant to a straight male eyes. Though lately, it has been changing not only in video games, but also other media such as TV shows and movies, where strong and independent women characters who are not necessarily dressed provocatively are starting to appear.

 

About

Throughout the history of media, parties who own and control the media have used their power and influence to represent gender, particularly women, in a way that conforms to their beliefs to influence the way the wider mass perceive and view that group. This blog is aiming to dispel the myths surrounding both genders and help you, as a consumer of the mainstream media to avoid the influence of the misinformation, perpetrated by those who are in control of the media for their own and their personal belief's interests. This blog was created and is run by Fayez Gatri and Danela Yustisa.