Question

In an essay of at least 3 paragraphs discuss how the media portrays men and women who show emotion in public. Is one gender treated differently or are both genders subject to criticism?

Answer 1

Media and gender refers to the relationship between media and gender, and how representations of the different genders created for and by mass media. These representations can influence the general public's perception of the different genders.Many studies have been conducted, examining emotional expressiveness in males and females and there is a fairly substantial body of research demonstrating that women are the more emotionally expressive gender.

In addition to this there are certain emotions that have been stereotypically linked to each gender. Emotions of happiness, sadness and fear are believed to be more characteristic of women, whereas men are believed to be more characteristically angry.

Masculinity children’s television typically shows males as “aggressive,   dominant,   and   engaged   in   exciting   activities from which they receive rewards from others for their ‘masculine’ accomplishments.” Relatedly, recent studies reveal that the majority of men on prime-time television are   independent,   aggressive,   and   in   charge.

Television programming for all ages disproportionately depicts men as serious confident,   competent,   powerful,   and   in   high-status   ‘positions. Gentleness in men, which was briefly evident in the 1970s, has receded as established male characters are redrawn to be more tough and distanced from others.Men are seldom shown doing housework. Boys and men are rarely presented caring for others.

Media’s images of women also reflect cultural stereotypes that depart markedly from reality. As we have already seen, girls and women are portrayed as significantly younger and thinner than women in the population as a whole, and most are depicted as passive,dependent on men, and enmeshed in relationships or housework. Female newscasters are expected to be younger, more physically attractive, and less outspoken than males.

In the initial stage of its history, media were managed exclusively by men. The media images of men and women were tailored to men’s preferences. In other words, men were creating media images of men and women they wished to see in reality.