How Do the Media Contribute to Gender Stereotypes?
Television, movies, and the printed media help encourage people to develop and maintain the gender stereotypes we have been examining. Let’s consider four general trends. Women are Underrepresented in the Media Research suggests that women are underrepresented in the media, even during the 1990s. For example, music videos feature roughly twice as many males as females (Sommers-Flanagan, Sommers-Flanagan, & Davis, 1993). Women are not seen much, but they are heard even less. For example, the next time you see a television advertisement, notice whose voice of authority is extolling the product’s virtues. Males constitute between 85% and 90% of these voice-overs. Furthermore, only 5% of radio talk-show hosts are female (Flanders, 1997). Women’s and Men’s Bodies are Represented Differently If you glance through magazine advertisements, you’ll notice that women are much more likely than men to serve a decorative function. Women recline in seductive clothing, caressing a liquor bottle, or th
