Representations of gender in the past

This chapter and the next one provide an overview of representations of gender in the media, magazines, newspapers and adverts all contain images of women and men, and even songs on the radio might feed into or challenge our ideas about gender. Online magazines and general entertainment sites have become increasingly popular, and these merge with digital television, electronic media becomes yet another source of gender information.

Women and men on TV:

Miles found that there were nearly equal proportions of men and women in situation comedies - although, of course, the gender roles and the humour could still be traditional and sexist, despite this statistical parity - whereas in action - adventure shows, only 15% of the leading characters were women.

Gunter in the 1970s found that marriage, parenthood and domesticity were shown on TV to be more important for women than men. Further the women's movement had been largely ignored by TV as married housewives were seen to be the main female roles shown. While in the 1970s McNeil found that men were given the dominant characters ad the decision makers or the one's that give out the orders.

Men were more assertive (aggressive), whilst women were more passive, men were seen as brave, outgoing and adventurous whereas women were more frequently shown as weak or 'merely token females' (Gunter, 1995).

'The Symbolic Annihilation of Women by the Mass Media' (1978):

"From children's shows to commercials to prime time adventures and situation, television proclaims that women don't count for much. They are 'symbolically annihilated' and they are seen in American television as not important within American society."

'Degrading and trivialising views of women', sports programming remaining 'the preserve of men' and news programmes accused of tokenism or 'window dressing' by including some women in key positions whilst retaining a male-dominated culture (Dyer, 1987: 7-8).

Gillian Dyer observed that the number of women in central roles in police and crime series had increased, but found a new reason fro discomfort:

"This development, although in many ways refreshing, raises new contradictions in the portrayal of power and gender for, ironically 'strong' women policewomen, lawyers, etc. are invariably shown enforcing the patriarchal laws which oppress them."

Women and men in movies:

The films almost always focused on male heroes, women had important roles but were far more likely than men to be shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction, and offering love ans support to the male lead character(s). Some films may challenge this however played with the performance of gender, but only hinted at a challenge to masculine and feminine roles. Gender roles on average, did not differ greatly from previous decades, but male characters were consistently more intelligent more assertive - and much more prevalent.

Masculinity and femininity in films is often rather precarious, gender characterisations are often worthy of some examination. Women's roles, also have much more complexity and value, in history it is full of remarkable female characters in supporting roles.

Marjorie Rosen ('the Cinema Woman is a Popcorn Venus, a delectable but insubstantial hybrid of culture distortions'). She charted the changing representations of women in Hollywood films, nothing backlashes against working women in the 40s and 50s, and against female sexual emancipation in the 60s and 70s; Rosen described women as seen merely as 'sex objects'.

Sharon Smith said:

" Women, in a fully human form, have almost completely been left out of film... The role of a woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction, and the mating games she plays with the male characters. On the other hand a man is not shown purely in relation to the female characters, but in a wide variety of roles."

Ann Kaplan said:

"In Hollywood films, then, women are ultimately refused a voice, a discourage, and their desire is subjected to male desire. They live out silently frustrated lives, or, if they resist their placing, sacrifice their lives for their daring."

Kathi Maio observed that Hollywood's ideas about gender were 'often reprehensible', and further went on to say:

" Women are not only given less screen time, when we're up there on the screen we are likely to be portrayed as powerless and ineffectual... Where are the triumphant women heroes to match the winner roles men play constantly?"