The Big Bang Theory

The show reinforces the classical gender roles that female stereotypes continue to thrive in the media we consume every day. Women in this show is objectified and mostly portrayed as just beautiful with little education. (Gender Stereotypes in Mass media, 2014).

It proves “Men on television are…powerful” when Hank commands his family (Witt). In addition, “Women are portrayed as spending much of their time…talking” and “The women in these media are also more likely to be seen doing activities best described as stereo-typically female” (Signorelli). Most of the episode consisted of the women talking. While it conforms a lot, it also defies stenotypes. The Women on the show are average size, not “thin” (Signorelli). When talking, Frankie and hank don’t dominate each going against the stereotype of “…men are usually more dominant.” (Witt). Most of the female characters also wear little to no makeup defying women’s emphasis being “…on attractiveness and desirability”

Sociology considers family as a major agent of socialization in society especially when it pertains to teaching gender roles. Within this institution, the recurring social practices and behaviors cause individuals to internalize learned rules. Gender is very frequently policed, and society designates different behaviors for masculine and feminine individuals. To be viewed as a competent member of society, one must correctly display their gender to fit into preestablished roles. A large part of these roles in a family setting ties to expectations of housework for men and women. Specifically, women and the phenomena known as the second shift where they find themselves essentially working two jobs, both in their workplace and then housework. (Class

Throughout time, media has been used to reflect society. One popular method of doing so is television. Many people rely on television as a source of entertainment and history. From shows from the 1950s to now, culture and society have been shown in its truest forms. Looking back at the shows from the past gives one a good insight on how families acted in different time periods. One can analyze different shows in different decades to see how family dynamic and trends have changed over time. To get a grasp of the how the perception of families changed throughout time, I choose 5 decades and watched an episode of a popular television show at the time. I watched the 1950s show “The Honeymooners” to start off with because it shows the dynamic of a white, heterosexual, cisgender couple. I then watched “Good Times” from the 1970s to show an African American, heterosexual, cisgender couple and their family. Next, I watched the 1980s show “Growing Pains” to illustrate a white, heterosexual, cisgender family. I choose these 3 specific shows to get a baseline of three different family dynamics (White, African American, family, and couple). I then compared specifically “Good Times” to the 1990s show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, and “The Honeymooners” and “Growing Pains” to the 2000s show “Modern Family”. Please note that homosexuality and non-cisgender will not

One of the most successful and popular comedies on television in the 21st century is “Big Bang Theory “. From the beginning, this show “Big Bang Theory “, main characters of this show are four boys Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard and one girl Penny. This show bases itself entirely on stereotypes which historically the boys are

At the same time, though, the show allows its characters to explore their own ideas of what gender is, and how those ideas come into play with the ideas of the people in their environment.

During my media observation of the Big Band Theory, I noticed three gendered patterens being depicted. These patterns showed the social construction of roles through speech, location, and heteronormative ideals. Female characters took on the role of a mother, housewife, and the girlfriend. Their are 3 main females; Bernadette, Penny, and Amy in the show and each one illustrated a feminine role. Bernadette is a stay home mother who took time off work as a Microbiologist while her husband works. Penny, takes the role of a attractive housewife while her husband Leonard provides for the home. Amy is a neurobiologist, but her role as Sheldon's girlfriend is portrayed in the majority of the scenes. In contrast, the male character are shown as the breadwinners of their household and the intelligent group. Being the breadwinner the men are shown at their workplace as scientists. They are rarely seen at home, but when they are their work is brought home with them and it is discussed with their girlfriend or wife.

Gender inequality has been in existence for many centuries and is still apparent throughout any given society. This leads up to the topic of feminism, which addresses the issues of systematic discrimination against women and the belief that men and women should be equal. In many television programs, women are commonly sexually harassed and no one makes a remark as well as society deeming it acceptable without a second thought as they consider it conventional. In order for the characters of Boy Meets World to grasp the topic of feminism, participant observation was an effective way for them to do so. There are many sociological components used within this episode such as participant observation which highlights the theme of

There have been many theories concerning what the universe looks like, how it became this way, and where it is going. The most popular theory that people hold today is that the universe began when all the matter ever present in the universe was contained in a tiny speck and that spec exploded. This is known as the Big Bang. This theory has developed a great deal since it was first conceptualized and continues to evolve today. Many different scientists have had a hand in this.

This paper is a media analysis of the TV show Modern Family in relation to gender as a social institution. We constantly consume media without knowing it has repercussions. Media is a social institution that reinforces gender and racial social inequalities. For my data, I randomly picked (through a random episode generator) season 5 episode 8 and season 6 episode 18 as my two episodes to analyze. In this paper I will show how cultural stereotypes about identity and femininity intersect on Modern Family to reinforce gender and racial inequalities.

The functionalists including Talcott Parsons, an American sociologist, believe in the ideal nuclear family. The father in the family is suppose to work and be the income source for the household, whereas the mother is responsible for raising the children and managing the household (Brym, 2014). Thus according to this, males and females have a social conformity that is passed down from one generation to another. Moreover, masculinity is linked with instrumental traits and femininity is associated with expressive traits. For example, male should be strong, protective, dominant and providers where as females are sensitive, weak, dependant and focused on their appearance (2014). In the film, this is the dominant view of the media (Newsom, 2011). Shows like 2 and the half men that display women as recyclable objects or news anchors who are thought to be able to attract viewer by what they are wearing that day, further illustrates the disparity between the two sexes (2011). Also classic TV series and films tend to present the functionalist views of a nuclear family, especially after World War 2 when the women were forced to leave the workplace and give the jobs back to the men (2011). This was a way for the media to ease the transition and convince the females that they were needed more at home by their families rather than in the work force (2011). By providing strict barriers for males and females, the media instils the view that if a man is too feminine

Over the past two decades, the impact of gender role stereotyping on our society has been examined in numerous studies. The purpose of these studies was to determine whether the sex bias portrayed in books, TV shows and social media is still as prevalent as in the past. Modern Family is one of the TV shows that clearly prove that, the roles played by males and females have changed in by the time. Modern Family show is about a family that tackles normal, everyday problems. The show features three combined families Jay and Gloria, Phil and Claire, Mitchell and Cameron and how different genders in each family act. Because of gender stereotype issues like gay marriage, house wives and large difference in age between married couples, this show focused on challenging these stereotypes and solving such conflict in our society.

The Event did not disappoint with my hypothesis that this was a heavily male dominated program. The content of this show illustrates the social hierarchy and roles that men play in society. Subsequently, the major life events change the direction and course of the actors and force them into new roles, norms and values with their characters.

Astronomers believed the Universe was created about 14 billion years ago. During that time, the entire Universe was inside a bubble that was thousands of times smaller than a pinhead, and it was insanely hot and dense. Out of nowhere this little bubble started expanding. This expansion created what we know as the Universe. In such little time the Universe went from the size of an atom to the ginormous galaxy we have that is continuously growing.

There has been a lot of research done on the influence media can have on society, in particular the degrading images of women that are often seen in media. Since the second wave of the women’s rights movements these images were the object of scrutiny and an easy example of how women were viewed. In modern society where women have made many strides towards equality why are there still instances in popular media were women are negatively depicted? Have women come as far as they think? The popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory negatively depicts the female characters by reverting to a binary view of gender, in which the female characters are lacking, they can be beautiful or smart however they cannot be both.