Media and culture

Homework This week: Gender X2/mock exam Homework: Notes on Issue and debates No support session this Monday. Support session Friday

Starter: gender quiz

You have to bring in Social learning theory in your answers Essay titles Discuss the importance of social influences on gender (16) Discuss the influence of culture and/or media on gender roles (16) Discuss the influence of media on gender roles (16) Discuss the influence of culture on gender roles (16) You have to bring in Social learning theory in your answers

Culture and gender roles The ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular group of people or society Triandis (1980) distinguished between two aspects of culture: Objective - clothes, foods dwellings Subjective - values, beliefs and shared ideas

Culture and gender roles Cross-cultural research is noted for its valuable contribution to the nature-nurture debate in gender. The debate about whether variations in psychological and behavioural traits are caused by innate or environmental factors. Universal features (found everywhere) would suggest an innate basis for gender and support the nature view Culturally specific features (found in some places not others) would suggest that gender is learned and support the nurture view Studying cultural influences on gender role gives us a greater understanding of the relative contributions of biology (nature) and socialisation (nurture) in the development of gender. It allows us to address the nature/nurture debate and consider how much each contributes to gender development. Cross-cultural research: investigations carried out across more than one society

Nature and nurture Nature Nurture Interactionism Gender differences are caused by innate tendencies that are modified by environmental factors Gender differences result from innate differences between female and male (genes, chromosomes, nervous system, hormones). Gender differences result from the different experiences that females and males have as they develop (learning from family, peers, society)

Does Social Learning theory explain cultural differences in gender?

Masculine cultures emphasise the gender differences in society Masculine cultures emphasise the gender differences in society. Males should be assertive and focused on material gain whereas females are concerned with quality of life and are modest and tender. Feminine cultures – focus more on equality – both genders should be tender, modest and focused on quality of life and relationships with others. Masculine societies include: Japan, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia. Feminine societies include: Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Egalitarian Traditional Pakistan, India, Nigeria all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. Pakistan, India, Nigeria Germany, Finland, The Netherlands Women stay at home Men and women have more choice Men go out to work and provide for the family Roles are interchangeable and flexible

Discuss the influence of culture on gender roles (16) Cultural influences Read the essay: Discuss the influence of culture on gender roles (16) Task: Complete activities 1-3 Buss: This supports the proposal that there are cross-cultural similarities in gender roles. Many women and men instinctively seek similar traits traits (universal features). Mead:

Criticisms of Mead (A03) Cultural bias - can non indigenous researchers record data without bias? Mead exaggerated the differences between these cultures and Western culture – Alpha bias It has been criticised that she ignored the similarities between cultures Mead later suggested that there are more similarities between males and females than differences. The researcher may impose their own preconceptions on the data – Imposed etic

Evaluation of The role of Culture Eagly and Wood (1999) argue that the physical differences between men and women allow them to carry out specific tasks more efficiently. Women ability to bear children and produce milk Males upper body strength and greater speed Social role theory states that in In some cultures, where strength is not required in occupations and where there is alternative child care, gender roles will be more similar between men and women Williams and Best found high agreement in stereotypically male and female traits across 27 different countries.

Nature or nurture Cross-cultural research does not solve the nature-nurture debate – it simply provides insight into different cultural practices that impact upon gender-role behaviour It is actually impossible to separate these two influences on the development of gender roles: As soon as children are born they are identified as either male or female Immediately, their socialisation into a particular society starts along with the gender-role expectations that come with it Therefore it becomes very difficult to determine where nature (biology) stops and nurture (social influence) begins. It is likely that there is a complex and constant interaction between both influences and that each influences the other in the development of gender roles Some of our gender-related behaviour is governed by our biological make-up, but any innate predisposition can be modified by the environment and developmental experiences

The role of the Media

Friends clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCTRYlIo7Uk What does this clip illustrate? The stereotypes surrounding dolls (Girls play with dolls and boys play with action figures) The influence of parents in reinforcing gender stereotypes Television programs along with advertising can be influential in perpetuating traditional gender stereotypes.

Why is this a problem? The problem is that within the media are lessons about gender roles and expectations. Advertisements specifically target children with a message of what is and isn’t appropriate for boys and girls.  Although these may be “just advertisements” they are also one of the places that children learn about gender roles.

Abstract Modelling Extracting ideas from media images and integrating them into your view of the world.

Media includes – TV, radio, magazines, newpapers and now the strong influence of social media

Link to Social Learning Theory Vicarious reinforcement, role models, imitation The media provides role models for young children. These often depict gender roles. According to SLT this will influence the behaviour of young children who focus on the behaviour of their same sex role models. The media also provides evidence of reinforcement for certain behaviours – females rewarded for being attractive, good mothers or good friends and males rewarded for material success and strength.

Alternative Views Media can also be responsible for breaking down gender stereotypes. Pinger (1978) found stereotyping was reduced when children were exposed to media showing non traditional female roles. We could link this to practical applications – informing programme makers to present males and females in non gender stereotyped roles. This can be criticised by gender schema theory – HOW?

Media Influences Write an essay for the following essay title using information from your gender booklet and power point Discuss the influence of the media on gender roles. Refer to at least one study in your answer. (16 marks)

Further Research – see handout Commentary – It is difficult to assess the influence of media on gender as there are so many other influences that might dictate what children actually watch on the TV. Much of the research is correlational or natural experiments and so there is a lack of control over the variables. This again makes it difficult to come up with clear conclusions about the influence of the media. However, it is supported by SLT – Can you expand this?

A01: Social learning theory and modelling – role of factors such as observation, imitation, identification, vicarious reinforcement Mediating cognitive variables – children more likely to imitate models who are attractive, similar, high status etc. Cultural representations of gender and reinforcement in various forms of media (TV, books, computer games etc) Role of direct reinforcement of gender stereotypical behaviours by parents, teachers, peers

A03 Use of evidence to support the influence of media study of ‘male’ and ‘female’ occupations Influence of media per se versus specific forms of media – not all representations are stereotyped – discussion of degree of stereotyping in different forms of media eg TV versus computer games versus books Age as a mediating variable Differences in effects for boys and girls Problems of inferring cause and effect and the issue of determinism Comparison with alternative explanations eg biological and evolutionary explanations

Correlation not causation It is difficult to establish cause and effect The media has considerable influence on the formation and maintenance of children’s gender stereotypes but does thee media create these or simply reflect prevailing social norms about males and females It is difficult to establish the media’s effect without control groups The vast majority of children are exposed to the media on a regular basis and therefore finding control groups of children who are beyond the media’s influence are not available for comparison.

Counter-stereotypes Counter-stereotypes challenge traditional notions of masculinity and femininity (such as the Disney movie Brave) Pingree (1978) found that gender stereotyping was reduced when children were shown TV adverts featuring women in non-stereotypical roles Example - H&M advert However, it was also found that pre-adolescent boys’ stereotypes became stronger following exposure to the non-traditional models Such a backlash may be explained by the boys’ desire to maintain a view that ran counter to the adult view

Research support Research into the effects of culture and media on gender roles provides support for the SLT explanation of gender Social learning theory suggests we learn gender roles by observation of role models and we copy or imitate the models we see, especially if we see those models being rewarded or reinforced for such behaviours. The media provides us with role models, and often males and females in the media are portrayed in gender-stereotypical ways; for example, females looking after children and males as breadwinners. If there are cultural differences in gender roles, we can explain these through socialisation and experience, which is how social learning theory suggests we acquire gender roles.

Age as a mediating variable Media influences on gender development may be exaggerated, as much gender development occurs before four years of age when media influences are often weak. Media influences probably reinforce existing gender beliefs rather then create them. It is too simplistic to see children as passive recipients of media messages of gender stereotypes. Children actively select particular characters and events to respond to, which suggests more of a cognitive input than a purely social learning effect.

Differences in effects for boys and girls Bee (2000) found that books, including picture books and early reading books, are gender stereotyped and that boys’ TV commercials are fast, sharp and loud compared with those for girls, which are slower, gentle and quiet, suggesting that media gender0role portrayals and influences differ for boys and girls from an early age.

Determinism Is gender roles environmentally determined? Is there an argument for the role biology plays in gender role?

Application If media influence do have a negative influence in establishing and reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes, equally they should be able to create and promote positive non-gender role stereotypes, like female scientists and sport stars. Johnston and Etterna (1982) showed 12 year olds a TV programme designed to counter gender stereotypes and both sexes showed reduced gender stereotyping. Kolbe and Muehling (1995) indicates that the evaluation of gender appropriateness can be altered through non-stereotypical advertisements. They found that, boys who viewed ads with a female actor were more likely to indicate that the toy was appropriate for both genders than boys who saw male actor only ads. The boys who saw the male actor ads said that the advertised toy would be preferred by boys only. Girls who say the female actor ads also indicated that the toy was less appropriate for boys only.

social and biological explanations of GID Next lesson… social and biological explanations of GID