G - Cultural and media influences on gender roles Flashcards
Culture
The rules, customs, morals and ways of interacting that bind together members of a society or some other collection of people.
Media
Tools used to store and distribute information, e.g. books, films, TV, commercials and so on.
What general gender belief is there across cultures?
That women are more conformist than men.
Give evidence for how the difference of ‘women are more conformist than men’ varies considerably with culture:
Barry et al. (2002) report that conformity is highest in tight, sedentary societies (i.e. groups that are’t nomadic), with a correlation of +.78 between this sex difference and an ecocultural index (a measure of the kind of environment people live in).
Consider historical changes when considering differences in gender roles
In the UK, women continue to perform more domestic duties than men and to occupy less powerful positions. However, this gender gap has been decreasing, which supports the role of changing cultural influences (Alleye, 2011).
What was the study for cultural differences in gender role?
Margaret Mead (1935) looking at social groups in Papa New Guinea.
Give the results of Margaret Mead’s study into cultural differences in gender roles across Papa New Guinea:
She provided evidence of cultural role differences.
- She found the Arapesh men and women to be gentle, responsive and cooperative.
- The Mudugumor men and women were violent and aggressive, seeking power and position.
- By contrast the Tchambuli exhibited gender role differences: the women were dominant, impersonal and managerial, whereas the men were more emotionally dependent.
How can culture express itself?
Through the media.
What does the media generally portray males as?
Independent and directive and pursuing both engaging occupation and recreational activities.
Also more likely to be shown exercising control over events (Hodges et al., 1981).
What does the media generally portray females as?
Usually shown as acting in dependent, unambitious and emotional ways (Bussey and Bandura, 1999).
Also are frequently shown to be more at mercy of others (Hodges et al., 1981).
What did a more recent analysis buy Conley and Ramsey (2011) find about gender portrayals in adversitsements?
Women were shown as more flawless and passive than men.
Those who have higher exposure to these differential gender representations tend to what?
Tend to display more stereotypical gender role conceptions than do light viewers.
What research was there on the media and gender roles?
McGhee and Frueh (1980)
Explain McGhee and Frueh’s study on how the media effects gender roles
Longitudinal study over 15 months and found that children aged 6-12 who watched more than 25 hours a week held more sex-stereotype perceptions than those who watched 10 or less hours. This was especially true for male stereotypes.
How does the media use vicarious reinforcement?
It not only models gender-typical behaviours as it also gives information about the likely outcomes of those behaviours for males and females.
Seeing similar others succeed raises a person’s beliefs in their own capabilities (self-efficacy), whereas the failure of similar others produces self-doubt about a person’s own ability to master similar activities.
