Representations of Gender in the Media

Question 1

In what positions are women under represented?

Answer 1

Power + Influence in the media industry; senior management roles, editors and journalism

Question 2

What % of the British Journalism Industry is Male?

Answer 2

55%

Question 3

What did the international women’s media foundation find? (IWMF)

Answer 3

• In UK media companies, women were often marginalised in news rooms and decision making environments.
• Women face a glass ceiling that fix their careers at a junior professional level.

Question 4

Who studies the Male Gaze in media and what did they find?

Answer 4

Mulvey
- Men look at women as sexual objects and use camera angels that focus on their sex appeal.
Wolf
- Women are expected to meet male conceptions of female beauty

Question 5

What does Tuchman argue that the symbolic annihilation of women in media involves?

Answer 5

• Condemnation, Omission, Trivialisation; the media spreads patriarchal ideology by spreading a male view of femininity which is in the interest of men.

Question 6

What did the Global Media Monitoring Project find about the under representation of women in the media?

Answer 6

• That 76% of people heard or read about in the media were male- and when women were interviewed or mentioned they were likely to be referred to by their ‘family name’

Question 7

Who identified the six stereotypes of women in the media and what are they?

Answer 7

• Wolf
  The Supremum, The WAG, The Victim, The Sex Object, The Angel, The Ball Breaker

Question 8

In what three ways have representations of women changed?

Answer 8

1. Transgressive Roles; media representations reflect the way that society has changed for women; women’s careers shown more positively in the media. (McRobbie)
2. Sexually Powerful; GILL: Women are in control of their sexuality (Men still getting sexualised images of women- patriarchy )
3. Independent; their is a heavy focus on ambition and independence for young girls ( Pop Music )

Question 9

How does Knight critique this?

Answer 9

• There is still an underlying conventional feminity being shown in the media and women are still shown conforming to the male gaze.

Question 10

What are men more likely to be within the media industry?

Answer 10

• Boss
• Managers
• Voiceovers

Question 11

Who discusses Hegemonic Masculinity?

Answer 11

Connell

Question 12

Does Hegemonic Masculinity appear in the media?

Answer 12

• Yes, but not as exclusively as stereotypes of women. Men are often to seen to have interests within Hegemonic Masculinity

Question 13

What has hegemonic masculinity been replaced with?

Answer 13

Toxic Masculinity- the positives of HM (providing for family) have been eroded and w are left with the aggressive, violent and misogynistic male.

Question 14

What stereotypes of masculinity did Children Now identify:

Answer 14

• The Joker
• The Jock
• The Buffoon
• The Big Shot
• The Strong Silent Type
• The Action Hero

Question 15

Who critiques male representations and what do they say?

Answer 15

• Gauntlett; There are now wider representations of masculinity and new identities are begging to appear; The Emo, The New Man
• Male bodies are also more commonly used as sex objects in advertising; tradition that affected women now affects men too.