Gender Contribution To The Process Of Gender Socialization And The Media

The determination of gender identity is much deeper than whether a person is born a male or a female. The exact identifier that separates gender identity is currently unknown but researchers believe that genetics, hormones, reproductive organs, biological, and environmental factors all play a role in distinguishing a person’s gender identity. A person’s physical gender and their sense of gender are formed at two different times in two different parts of the body. A person’s gender is whether they are born male or female, but the way they identify themselves may be the opposite, which is not uncommon and has occurred since the beginning of time. In culture males are known to be the stronger, more aggressive sex, while females are the

The mass media is another source that has contributed to changes in the identities of gender; especially among the younger generations; teenagers. In the media over the last 50 years, certain images have been portrayed as the ‘correct’ image to have; more

“We have been very conditioned by the cultures that we come from and are usually very identified with the particular gender that we happen to be a member of.” This quote by Andrew Cohen explains partially how gender identity develops, through the conditioning of our environments. The most influential factor of gender development, however, is still a very controversial issue. An analysis of the gender identification process reveals two main arguments in what factor most greatly contributes to gender development: biology differences (nature) or the environment (nurture).

Gender is complex; it changes over time. Figure 1.1 fleshes out this assertion by tracing several tracks of gender development, which proceed in tandem over an individual's life. These tracks include cascades of biological influences, family influences, peer influences, cultural and social influences, and influences originating from the individual's own ongoing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Educators need to be aware of the gender stereotypes that their students are exposed to. The articles and book chapters that were assigned, give the reader an insight to how the media shapes the views of gender and how they can influence children as young as six.

“Radio, television, film, and the other products of media culture provide materials out of which we forge our very identities; our sense of selfhood; our notion of what it means to be male or female; our sense of class, of ethnicity and race, of nationality, of sexuality; and of "us" and "them”…” (Kellner, 1995) Douglas Kellner expresses the notion that gender roles and the stereotypes associated with them are sets of societal norms that dictate behaviour which is considered acceptable, desirable and apt based on ones particular sex. These constructs are often depicted in media culture and especially film, which acts as a social comment and offers society the opportunity to reflect on the ways social issues are portrayed and examined. The

Thesis: The media, school system and the parents are mainly responsible for the gender stereotypes and gender roles among women today. The have the biggest influence on women and how society views them, and how they view themselves.

Gender and the Media by Rosalind Gill addresses gender stereotypes that are brought onto women and men through the media resulting in objectification and subjectification. Gill discusses how the representation of gender is altered as a result of the media in Western societies. Gender and the Media is aimed to address the rapid transmission of media and how those changes affect the construction of feminine and masculine gender roles in society. Gill uses her interest in the contradictions of gender construction by society, to analyze gender and the media. Using feminism as a backbone for her research, Gill and many commentators support the idea that feminist ideas are common and may even affect the media. Gender and the Media addresses multiple forms of media: postfeminism in advertising, gender in the news and journalism, and gender in magazines. Gild aims to address the construction of gender representations, elements for gender analysis, and feminist culture with Gender and the Media.

The media is constantly providing us with scripts about how to behave and interact. We both subconsciously and consciously internalize and execute these scripts, embodying the well known “life imitates art” theory. One of the most common script topic or theme is gender. Media then, especially television and movies, is a prominent educator of what it means to be “men” and “women”. In other words, gender is a construct that can be learned through absorbing what is portrayed in the media.

Media has a great influence in the everyday lives of people. Media influences us on how we see ourselves and the world as a whole on a daily basis. There are many types of media including television shows, movies, radio, magazines/newspapers, billboards, internet etc. Within all of these media examples, men and women are represented in many different ways. Gender representation in media affect the perception of many people throughout the world of what a man or woman should be. I will be analyzing gender representation in the television series Sex and the City. These series show different types of gender representation by the four main characters challenging

Media affects how we shape the way we view and understand the gender constructs. It gives us an outlet that we are surrounded with during our everyday lives. Whether, it is on film, in a song, or through the radio. They are all able to construct this mold of what society wants us to believe about gender. You will notice things like ads directly targeted certain genders, and in movies girls being unable to do what men can, men needing to be a hero, women looking for the affection of a man, or even the girl needing to be saved by the male character. A way to view media’s use of normalized gender roles is through Feminist media criticism. The piece of media I wanted to take a look at a movie that I had grown up watching called She’s the Man. A movie about a girl named Viola who’s High School women’s soccer team gets cut and she was not allowed to join the men’s because girl’s are not as good as boys. Viola then decides to take her brother’s spot at his boarding

Media within todays society has become an influential part of many lives. It was reported that in Canada 92% of teens report going online daily, including 24% who say they go online “almost constantly”. This creates constant exposure to stereotypical gender roles through the different forms of media. The first form of media this is shown through is movies, specifically, Disney movies. Secondly you can be exposed to forms of gender stereotyping in everyday advertisements. Lastly, within the music videos seen exploring different genres. Unsafe exposure to gender identification through media can have a negative impact on the viewers.

Collins, R. L. (2011). Content Analysis of Gender Roles in Media: Where Are We Now and Where Should We Go? Sex Roles, 64(3-4), 290-298.

As a Communication major, I spend a lot of time studying the human communication process, which is the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between a receiver and sender. This communication process does not only apply to face-to-face interactions but also includes mass media, rhetorical, and technological communication. Through these various forms of communication, the sender not only expresses his/her message but also expresses power hierarchies about race, gender, and sexuality that are present in society. Mass media has a significant impact on socializing gender roles and perpetuating gender stereotypes, and to prove that, I am analyzing mass media messages, such as television shows, movies, and advertisements.

Mass media is the methods of communication, including television, radio, magazines, films, internet and newspapers, that have become some of society’s most important agents of socialization. In this paper I will talk about media and its effects on society today, things such as stereotypes the media portrays, the way media illustrates women and what that does to body images of women. I will also be talking about medias effects on teenagers, and sexualization in the media.