The influence of culture and media on gender roles Flashcards
Culture
The ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular group of people or society
Media
Communication channels, such as TV, film and books, through which news, entertainment, education and data are made available
Gender roles
A set of behaviours and attitudes that are considered typical of the gender and atypical of another
Who did research on nurtures influence on cultural differences and where did they do it
Who- Mead
Where- Papa New Guinea
What where the 3 tribes called in Mead’s research on Cultural differences (nurture)
1) Arapesh
2) Mundugumor
3) Tchambuli
The arapesh
Gentle and responsible (similar to female stereotype)
The Mundugumor
Aggressive and hostile (similar to masculine stereotype)
The Tchambuli
Dominant, organised village life. Whereas, men were passive- ‘decorative’.
(Reverse of stereotypes)
Cultural similarities (Nurture)- Buss research
Found consistent patterns in male preferences (gender role behaviour)
- 37 countries across the world
- All cultures women sought men who could offer wealth & resources
- Men looked for youth and attractiveness in a partner
Cultural similarities (Nurture)- Munroe and Munroe research
Revealed that in most societies division of labour is organised along gender lines
- Men are breadwinners
- Women are nurtures
Cultures influence on gender roles evaluation points- Research support
STRENGTH
Women’s role has changed in industrialised societies as they have moved into workplace, not in traditional societies. (Hofstede)
Cultures influence on gender roles evaluation points- Mead’s research
LIMITATION
Freeman studied Samoan people, concluding Mead had been misled (observer bias and ethnocentrism)
Media- Rigid stereotypes
(Bussey and Bandura)
- The media promotes stereotypes
- Men independent
- Women dependant
Media- Rigid stereotypes
(Furnham and Farragher)
- Men = autonomous role and professional
- Women = familial domestic role
Media- Self-efficacy
- Media influences what gender behaviour children believe they are capable of
- Girls who watched an Indian programme challenging gender stereotypes more likely to see themselves working outside the home
- Mitra et al