Influence of Culture and/or Media on Gender Roles Flashcards
Cross cultural research contributing to nature v. nurture debate
- If gender behavior is consistent across cultures, it’s innate/biological
- If there’s culturally-specific diffs. in behaviours, assume norms and socialisation are important
Mead’s Cross Cultural Research on Papua New Guinea - Nurture
Arapesh = gentle + feminine in behaviour regardless of gender
Mundugumor = aggressive + hostile regardless of gender
Tchambuli = women are dominant and men are passive
Conceded she may have underestimated universal nature of gender behaviour but argued how innate behaviours are expressed is due to cultural norms
(S) Research support for the influence of culture on gender - Hofstede (2001)
- Industrialised cultures in last 50 years have changed gender expectations for women due to increased role in workplace
- Traditional societies have women still as home-makers due to social, cultural and religious pressures
Suggests => gender roles are determined by cultural context
(L) Mead’s research has been criticised - Freeman (1983)
- Studies Samoan ppl after Mead’s study + claimed Mead was misled by some of her pps
- Also, claimed Mead’s preconceptions influenced her reading of events (observer bias)
Suggests => Mead may not have been objective, questions her conclusions
Buss’ Research on Cultural Similarities (1995)
Found consistent mate preferences in 37 countries in all continents
- Men sought men offering wealth + resources
- Women looked for youth and physical attractiveness
Further study - Munroe + Munroe (1975) - found division of labour was along gender lines
Nature or nurture?
Buss’s evidence of similarities across cultures suggests gender is biologically determined - NATURE
Mead’s research supports gender roles as transmitted across cultures
Suggests => gender roles are best seen as an interaction between nature and nuture
Same sex media role models are preferred
- Children are most likely to imitate role models who are the same sex as they are and who are engaging in gender appropriate behaviour
=> Maximises chances of gender appropriate behaviour being reinforced
Media creates rigid gender stereotypes - Bussey + Bandura (1999)
e.g.
men = independent + ambitious
women = dependent + unambitious
Furnham + Farragher (2000) - found men were more likely to be shown in autonomous roles in professional contexts + women are in familial/domestic settings
Media increases self efficacy - Mitra et al
Seeing others perform gender-appropriate behaviours increases child’s belief they’re capable of such acts
- Found girls in India who watched a show challenging gender stereotypes were more likely to see themselves working outside their home than non-viewers
(S) of Media Influence - Has a theoretical basis - Bond + Drogas (2014)
The more time individuals spend living in the media world, the more the they believe it reflects the social reality of the outside world
- Found positive correlation between time watching Jersey Shore + permissive attitudes to casual sex
Suggests => media cultivates perceptions of reality + affect gender behaviour
(L) of Media Influence - May not be a casual relationship - Durkin (1985)
Argues children aren’t passive recipients of media messenges + family norms may have a bigger influence
=> if media confirms gender roles held by family then norm may be reinforced => if not, likely to be rejected
Suggests => media influences may be secondary to other influences
Evaluation Extra: Counter - Stereotyping in Notel + Introducing TVs - Williams et al
TVs introduced for the 1st time in Notel - surveys carried out in Notel before + after the TV is introduced
- At start - children had fewer gender stereotypical behaviours than areas w/ TV
- At end of study - after 2 years this behaviour increased
Suggests => media is key in influencing gender behaviour
However => this being a natural experiment, the lack of control and may have been other influences at the time
