Influence of Media on Gender Roles

Question 1

what does media provide?

Answer 1

role models with whom children may identify and want to imitate
- children are likely to select role-models who are the same gender as them and who engages in stereotypically gender-appropriate behaviour

Question 2

what are rigid stereotypes?

Answer 2

• the media does provide very clear gender stereotypes that are quite rigid

Question 3

what did Bussey and Bandura find about gender stereotypes being rigid?

Answer 3

• men are independent and ambitious advice givers
• women are dependent and unambitious advice givers

Question 4

who are the researchers involved in rigid sterotypes?

Answer 4

• Bussey and Bandura
• Furnham and Farragher

Question 5

what did Furnham and Farragher find?

Answer 5

• men are more likely to be shown in autonomous roles within professional contexts
• women were often seen occupying familial roles within domestic settings

Question 6

what did Furnham and Farragher conclude?

Answer 6

• this suggests that the media may play a role in reinforcing widespread social stereotypes concerning gender-appropriate behaviour

Question 7

how does self efficacy relate to gender?

Answer 7

• the media also gives information to men and women in terms of the likely success of adopting these behaviours
• seeing other people perform gender-appropriate behaviours increases a child’s belief that they are capable of carrying out such behaviours in the future

Question 8

who are the researchers involved in self efficacy?

Answer 8

• Mitra et al

Question 9

what did Mitra et al do?

Answer 9

• analysed the attitudes of people in India who had watched a programme designed to challenge deep-rooted gender stereotypes
• Adha-full was a detective drama that ran for 78 episodes
• girls who watched the programme were more likely to see themselves as capable of working outside the home than non-viewers
• this suggests that self efficacy had changed as a result of media influence