Gender: Culture and media influences on gender roles Flashcards
Define the term culture
the rules , customs , morals and ways of interacting that bind together members of a society or another collection of people
In terms of the learning approach , what concept explains the influence of culture and media on gender roles?
culture-direct reinforcement of gender stereotypical behaviours from parents/peers/teachers etc
media-SLT and modelling
What have content analyses shown that a variety of media shows regarding the portrayal of men and women?
men-independent , in control and to be pursuing interesting occupations and recreational activities
women-dependent , unambitious and emotional
Who provides supporting evidence for direct reinforcement of gender roles by teachers?
Explain this and give a however point for this piece of evidence
Serbin 1973-did an observational study and recorded frequencies of disruptive and dependent child behaviours and ways teachers responded
-teachers more likely to respond when boys behaved aggressively than if girls did
-more likely to respond positively to dependent behaviours in girls than boys
-boys more likely to be rewarded for participating appropriately in class
this evidence suggests teachers behaviour is a way gender is transmitted through the culture , however the study could lack ecological validity due to small , one culture based sample
Who provides supporting evidence for media influences on occupational choice?
Explain this and give a however point for this
Wober 1987-children asked about occupations of male and female TV characters as well as their own career aspirations (typical female TV character jobs were shop keeping/ taking care of children , males included piloting or managing machinery)
they found childrens own aspirations were clearly linked with gender stereotyped ones on TV , suggesting children are influenced by media
HOWEVER … most of research is correlational therefore its impossible to conclude that media stereotypes are the cause of gendered behaviour
Who provides supporting evidence from cross cultural studies of gender development ?
Explain this and give 2 however points
Margaret Mead 1935-observed 3 social groups in Papua New Guinea and found that gender roles differed between each culture , suggesting social factors such as culture are influential in gender development
HOWEVER … there are methodological issues as the study may have been affected by researcher bias as was conducted by a western psychologist so interpretations may have been affected by expectations
HOWEVER … study may suffer imposed etic as the tests and scales used were developed in western societies therefore may be meaningless in non western societies , limits validity of conclusions about affect of culture
What is one further strength and weakness of research into the effects of culture and media on gender roles?
+practical apps , awareness of stereotypical representations allows them to be challenged and additionally advertisement that promotes gender stereotypes has been banned since 2019
-contradictory evidence from studies such as David Reimer case study which suggests hormones and chromosomes play a role in gender development
