The influence of culture and media on gender roles - AO1

Question 1

What is cross cultural research noted for?

Answer 1

Its valuable contribution to the nature-nurture debate

• Consistent across different cultures = innate biological differences between male and female

Question 2

The Arapesh

Margaret Mead (1935)

Answer 2

Gentle and responsive (similar to femininity in industrialised societies)

Question 3

The mundugamor

Answer 3

Agressive and hostile (simialar to masculinity in industrialised societies)

Question 4

The Tchambuli women

Answer 4

Dominant and they organised village life, men were passive (reverse of the stereotypes)

Question 5

What did Margaret Mead (1935) find?

Answer 5

Suggests there may not be a direct biological relationship between sex and gender and that gender roles may be culturally determined

Question 6

What did Buss (1995) find?

Answer 6

Consistent patterns in mate preferences in 37 countries across all continents

• Women - men who would offer wealth and resources
• Men - youth and physical attractiveness

Question 7

What did Munroe and Munroe (1975) find?

Answer 7

Division of labour is organised along gender lines

• Women = “nurturers”
• Men = “breadwinners”

Question 8

How does the media influence gender roles?

Answer 8

Provide role models with whom children may identify and imitate

• Likely to select role models who are the same gender as they are and who enage in stereotypically gender-appropriate behvaiour

Question 9

What did Bussey and Bandura (1999) find?

Answer 9

Evidence media provides clear steroetypes (rigid)

• Men = independent, ambitious, “advice givers”
• Women = dependent, unambitious, “advice seekers”

Question 10

What did Furnham and Farragher find (2000)?

Answer 10

Study of TV adverts, men were more likely to be shown as autonomouus rolles within professional contexts wheras women were occupying familial roles within domestic settings

Question 11

What self efficacy?

Answer 11

Seeing other people perform gender appropriate behaviourrs increases a child’s beliefs that they are capable of carrying out such behaviours in the future

Question 12

What did Mitra et al (2019) do?

Answer 12

Programme designed to challenge deep rooted gender stereotypes

• Girls who watched the programme were more likely to see themselves as capable of working outside the home than non viewers
• Their self efficacy had changed as a result of media influence