The Influence of Culture and Media on Gender Roles Eval 2

Question 1

Evaluation
Cultivation theory

Answer 1

• One strength of research into media influence on gender roles is it has a theoretical basis.
• Cultivation theory argues that the more time individuals spend ‘living in the media world, the more likely they are to believe that this reflects social reality.
• Bradley Bond and Kristin Drogos (2014) found a positive correlation between time spent watching the reality TV programme Jersey Shore and permissive attitudes towards casual sex.
• This effect was still found to be true when researchers controlled for the influence of such factors as existing sexual attitudes, parental attitudes and religious beliefs.
• This suggests the media ‘cultivates’ perception of reality and this affects gender behaviour.

Question 2

Passive recipients

Answer 2

• One limitation of gender roles and the media is there may not be a causal relationship.
• Kevin Durkin (1985) argues that even very young children are not passive and uncritical recipients of media messages.
• In fact, norms within the child’s family may be the bigger determinant on the child’s gender attitudes and behaviour. If media representations confirm existing gender norms held by the family, then these are likely to be reinforced in the child’s mind. If not, then such representations are likely to be rejected.
• This suggests that media influences are secondary to other influences, such as family.

Question 3

Counter-stereotypes

Answer 3

• Evidence suggests that the media can play a positive role in challenging traditional gender stereotypes through counter-stereotypes (e.g. Disney move Brave).
• Suzanne Pingree (1978) found that gender stereotyping was reduced amongst school -age children when they were shown TV adverts featuring women in non-stereotypical roles.
• However, in the same study, the stereotypes of older boys were stronger following exposure to the counter stereotypes. Pingree attributed this ‘backlash’ to the boys’ desire to differ from the adult view.

Question 4

Notel, Unitel and Multitel

Answer 4

• In the 1970s a unique experiment was conducted in a town in British Colombia (Canada) that was about to receive a TV signal for the first time.
• Nicknamed ‘Notel’ by Tannis Williams and her team of researchers (1986), the town offered a rare opportunity to examine the effect of new media on the townsfolk.
• The researchers carried out extensive surveys around the town to assess the behaviour and attitudes of the population prior to the introduction of television.
• They also collected similer data from two other neighbouring towns, ‘Unitel’ (that had access to one TV channel) and ‘Multitel’ (that had access to several).
• After a two-year period, all three towns were surveyed again. Williams et al. noted how gender stereotypical attitudes among the children of the three towns changed over two years.
• At the beginning of the study, children in Notel and Unitel displayed fewer gender-typed views and less evidence of gender stereotypical behaviour than their Multitel counterparts.
• At the end of the study, evidence of stereotypes on both of these measures had increased for the children of Notel.