Culture And Media, Gender

Question 1

Mead (35) cross cultural study

Answer 1

• Cross-cultural research (overt, non participant) to see whether there were differences in gender roles in three different societies. Observed 3 tribe’s behaviours.

Tribe 1: men and women gentle and cooperative
Tribe 2: both were violent and competitive
Tribe 3: women were dominant and they organised village life, men were passive decorative.

Question 2

Buss (94) - mate preferences

Answer 2

Found consistent mate preferences in all 37 countries studied across all continents.
In all cultures:
women: sought men offering wealthy and resources.
Men: looked for youth and physical attractiveness.

Question 3

Divisions of Labour + oxytocin ao3

Answer 3

Found that in most societies the division of labour is organised along gender lines - typically males are the breadwinners and females the nurturers.

AO3: attachment, women breastfeed and produce the bonding hormone oxytocin so are necessary for attachment and nurture.

Question 4

AO3 WEAKNESSES

Answer 4

Problem with cross cultural research – Mead’s research was subjective and had observer bias (lead by preconceptions). It was also ethnocentric and a non participant, overt observation. Therefore limits the validity of determining if the gender related behaviour is universal.

Impose etic: she created a tool suitable to measure gender in one culture (western) and expected it to work in other cultures.

!! A way around both of these issues is to work with an indigenous psychologist!!

cannot disentangle nature from nurture, cross cultural research is good for looking into this but we don’t know where nature stops and nurture begins (due to media).

Question 5

Bandura - stereotypes media

Answer 5

The media provides clear stereotypes to follow.
Men are independent, ambitious and advice givers.
Women are dependent, unambitious and advice seekers.

Question 6

Other studies:

Answer 6

• a correlation was found between high media exposure and high sex-role stereotypical behaviour.
• the media influenced what children want to be when they grow up.
  Men = occupational roles.
  Women = serving/ caring roles (nurse)
• in media men are in autonomous roles, females are in housewife, family, nurturing roles.

Question 7

AO3: Evaluation

Answer 7

+ Bandura, explanation 1

• Media research is correlational, shows a relationship not a cause and effect.
• Media focuses on western families = cultural bias, therefore can only be used in western societies (not generalisable)
• Less media challenging male stereotypes which may explain males fixed ideas on gender roles.
• There is no control group as there are very few people who have not had media exposure therefore there is no baseline to compare it to. This limits the validity of research establishing norms.