7. Race & Gender Flashcards
what age do kids start to identify gender
age 2
- superficially ( “girl because they have long hair and wear a dress” )
what about gender stereotypes
same age (2)
– more extensive in early childhood -> Fixated, rigid, don’t think you can deviate from this at all
what happens at age 7-9
Deeper understanding of gender as stable and socially influenced also begins later in childhood
define race
Based on physical traits typically shared between members of a group
- Eg: black
define ethnicity
Based on cultural identity and traditions typically shared between members of a group
- Eg: Latinos
what are race and ethnicity?
social constructions !
when can children sort individuals according to race/ethnicity?
By 3-4 years (Superficially based – outward appearance)
when are aware of stereotypes associated with race, show racial biases?
6-10 years
Typically dominant groups show in-group preference (preference for their own race)
when do ideas about gender start to diverge?
age 4-6
boys -> action
girls -> romance
what is different about boys?
- play more video games
- choose more “boy media” because of cultural expectations
attitudes toward race?
- we favour content featuring our own race/ethnicity
- Consistently throughout development
gender factors in amount of media consumption ?
boys spend more time with video games, girls spend more time with music
- Similar time spent with TV and movies
race factors in amount of media consumption ?
- Total screen consumption lower for white youth (but no differences in music or print consumption)
- Varies greatly
what has a larger influence on media preference: race or gender?
gender
eg: Dora = highly appealing for Latinas, less so for Latinos because Dora is a girl
limitation of gender representation research & race and ethnicity?
Vast majority has been done in North America
gender representations in picture books?
Historically, heavily stereotyped
- contemporary = more similar gender portrayals but still some stereotypes (contemporary has fairly even gender splits)
what about old books?
still have an influence because they are still around.
More male characters being active, female characters doing household labours
books for older children?
- Also often use stereotyped representations
- Benevolent sexism
Benevolent sexism
Women in traditional roles idealized, women seen as delicate and overly romantic
- Especially in romance novels
QUANTITY AND CHARACTERISTIC of gender in TV & MOVIES
For every 1 female character → 2.5 male characters
often stereotyped
For every 1 woman in STEM → 7-8 men
difference between men and women
WOMEN
- focus on appearance and sexual appeal
- more fearful
- better liked
- more often at home
- more family-orientated (caregiving with family)
MEN
- pursue and practice of sex
- more aggressive
- more likely to be out working
- incompetent in home and family
representation in viddy games:
90% male playable characters
50% female
Female characters more likely to be presented as bystanders, needing to be rescued, and/or nurturing
GENDERED THEMES IN MEDIA
- Gendered ideas of bodies
- Gendered ideas of sex
- Men as serious and powerful; women as emotional and passive
- A woman’s place is in the home
TRANSGENDER REPRESENTATION?
very small but increasing
42 people represented in 2021
- not representative
impact of trans representation?
Media may be the first time many encounter (out) transgender individuals
- For trans individuals → generate awareness, as comparisons
- First experience for some may be through media
QUANTITATIVE REPRESENTATION of race & ethnicity in GENERAL MEDIA?
- More white characters on TV than exist in the population
- Accurate for black people
- Other ethnic portrayals tend to be underrepresented
- Latinx → 3% characters, vs. 15% in pop.
- Asian → 3% vs. 4-5%
- Indigenous → very small
QUANTITATIVE REPRESENTATION of race & ethnicity in CHILDREN’S MEDIA?
Tends to be more diverse!
- Range across programs/genres
- Educational → very diverse (50%)
exposure to media stereotypes often associated with
lower self-esteem
- May not even need to be negative stereotypes
- Because of the extremely small amount of depictions in general
who is more at risk to experience lower self-esteem due to media representation?
marginalized groups (indigenous, asian)
Negative correlation with media consumption and self-esteem
- Particularly for APPEARANCE and SOCIAL self-esteem (not performance)
which types of media were these associated with
soap operas, movies
FACTORS
- Gender
- Ethnic identity
- More ethnic identity → lower self-esteem
- GENERALLY stronger ethnic identity can buffer against negative depictions (less effect on self-esteem) but not here
Social identity theory
- Group membership helps construct our identity
- Try to create a positive identity by comparing features of our in-group vs out-groups
- We generally want to see our group as better than the other
Social identity threat (stereotype threat)
- Group membership is part of social identity
- Encounter negative stereotype in media
- Leads to:
- Negative emotions
- Stress response
- Worry of conforming to negative view
- Media depictions → social identity threat
what has a larger influence on media preference: race or gender?
gender
eg: Dora = highly appealing for Latinas, less so for Latinos because Dora is a girl
how are black people portrayed historically
dominated by negative archetypes
- Subservient
- Black men: lazy, poor, jobless
- Black women: angry
when did more idyllic represntations begin and what were they
1960s
- Successful black family”
- Loving, intact, dad’s a doctor, live in the suburbs
- Race NOT mentioned
was this positive or negative impact?
negative
Created conflict between idyllic representation and real life → you could be successful, why aren’t you?
contemporary sterotypes of black ppl?
- Less respected, less prestige
- More disheveled
- Overrepresented as criminals, underrepresented as victims
–only 50% ppl arrested irl are black
–media tells us it is 74-84% -> WAY HIGHER
how are latinx portrayed in media
stereotypical, negative characteristics
- Sex objects
- Rarely as having high-status jobs
- Lack of intelligence, accented
- Associated with crime → either criminals or cops
modern depictions of latinx?
more complex with diverse backgrounds
- changing slightly
how are asians portrayed
Such low representation that less is known about the characteristics of portrayal → 3-4% of characters are Asian
often homogenous:
“Model minority” stereotype → linked with intelligence, strong family values, strong work ethic, passive
- Or, portrayed as villains
- Common in video games and action movies
- Particularly men
- Often comes up during political tension between Asian countries and NA
how does positive stereotype affect asian groups
- Homogenizes group
- Puts pressure on Asian individuals to succeed and be intelligent
indigenous?
Very, very, very low representation → 0-1%
Study analyzed 20 years of TV = found 3 Indigenous characters…
- Also represented as homogenous
- May be depicted as aggressive and uncivilized
- May be depicted as wise and connected with nature
impact of indigenous invisibility?
invisibility can lead people to believe this is a historic group
PORTRAYAL OF MIDDLE EASTERN INDIVIDUALS
💡 New area of study, less known!
- Depiction of Middle Eastern men as terrorists
- Eg: TV show → 24
- Post 9/11 films and video games
- Stereotypes come from political tensions
PORTRAYAL OF MULTIRACIAL INDIVIDUALS?
Very little has been studied
- Needs better representation
IMPACT ON BELIEFS: Cultivation theory
over time, exposure to media content shifts our understanding of reality
- Shapes our worldview, what we think to be true in reality when it is not realistically depicted
GENDER ROLE BELIEFS with increased media consumption
endorsement of traditional gender stereotypes
- More likely to think of women as passive and men as aggressive
factors of genre?
- stronger for soap operas, talk shows, reality TV
- Less so for prime time
what does exposure to stereotyped content linked to?
exposure to violent and sexist video games -> increased gender sterotypes
- less empathy for female victims of violence
what does sexually violent media with submissive characters predict
negative attitudes towards women
what moderates these findings?
identification with characters and perceived realism
what happens when you show stereotyped clip to grade 5s
an increase in stereotypes for both boys and girls
Showing a gender neutral clip → decreased stereotypes
💡 Watching gender stereotypical content as young as grade 5 can shape beliefs
in youth: exposure to positive stereotypes can lead to…
more positive out-group attitudes
