Gender Inequality In Media Essay Text

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Gender stereotyping is a popular technique that the media employs to generalize female or male traits and personalities. Even though, such action by the media may depict elements of inequality, it is still a popular phenomenon practiced by the media today. These attempts endeavor to identify the sexes based on their consumption patterns, attitudes and socialization.

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For instance, a female identity is attributed to fashion, design and consumption of sugary products like chocolate. This paper endeavors analyze gender stereotyping in the media with a view of realizing the causes, effects and best approaches to enhance gender equality through the media. Kristin callahan/ace pictures/zuma on sunday, journalist maria shriver, in partnership with the center for american progress, released the shriver report. It examines the wage gap between men and women and focuses on the issues of the tens of millions of financially insecure women in america. The investigation also features celebrity essays, including ones from eva longoria and lebron james.

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Grammy winning singer and self described modern day feminist beyonc knowles carter pitched in with a short essay titled, gender equality is a myth! we need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality, the piece reads. Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of voters. She is passionate about promoting women's empowerment around the world and helping the victims of hurricanes. But she also got some much deserved criticism for performing at a 2009 new year's eve party thrown by the family of moammar qaddafi.

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Kafiris 2004 gender can be said to refer to ldquo different cultural and social traits that are widely but deceptively thought to be inherent to each sex as a result of natural or reproductive difference rdquo. This is according to studies which have indicated that women are discriminated against on the basis of their gender because traits of the female gender are considered to be inferior to those of the male gender. Gender disparity is a common phenomenon in places of work where a certain gender is discriminated against for instance by being given low wages for the same amount of work and quality, not promoted to higher positions despite possessing the required qualification as their counterparts in the opposite sex and limited opportunities for equal career advancement kafiris 2006. For the past 50 years mass media industry has been experiencing an exponential growth both in terms of technology and in size. Initially there was a telelegraph, and then came radio, newspapers and magazines and later television and the current most popular form of mass media which is the internet.

Because we are living in a much more advanced and complicated society, our dependence on information and communication is indispensable in making sure that we are always moving in the right direction by doing the right things. Studies further suggest most of the decisions we make especially at workplaces are to a very great extent molded and determined by the information we get from the mass media sources kafiris 2006. Gender equality has been one of the major themes that have been portrayed in mass media outlets especially in television programs.

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Women have always been treated as inferior as compared to the male counterparts at different levels of social organization. According to researches carried out, it has been found out that social organization in every society is gendered. This is supported by the fact that women have been placed on an inferior position regarding societal economy and that women are perceived to only play a subordinate role in running various institutions in our societies. Also studies have suggested women and men have not been rewarded equally especially at workplaces kafiris 2006. The paper tries to look with insight the role the media plays in promoting equality in the society especially in the places of work. How gender inequality at workplaces operates and significance of the mass media gender inequality is used to refer to unfair treatment of members of a given gender at places where they are employed.

Gender inequality is an issue that can affect both men and women in the society but reaches indicate that women are the worst affected and that men are rarely victimized on the basis of their gender. Eitzen 2006 tries to bring out three main factors that contributed to women rsquo s inferior position in the labor force. Eitzen thinks that women are victims of the socialization process that all along has been domineered by male characters. So the socialization process brands them as inferior beings who should work under the guidance of the male counterparts. The second factor that might have contributed to inequality at work place as explained by eitzen is low aspiration nature of women. According to him, women are less aggressive and less motivated when it comes to pursuing goals at work place.

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This is one of the reasons that might have created a gap for males to overtake women at workplaces and take domineering roles. Some researchers have disputed this because they think women all along have been beings of high aspirations and have always been aggressive and motivated in achieving their goals zoonen 2008. The third factor given by eitzen that might have contributed to inequality at workplaces is that they are committed less to work than to look after their families. Women have always been overburdened by the responsibility of looking after families for instance looking after the kids, cooking and other house chores. On the other hand men are left free with not many obstacles that come on their way in the process of advancing their careers.

Many experts agree with this, because they think that the roles of women as prescribed by the society have created inadequate space for them to advance in their careers and to hold more senior and challenging positions at workplaces because their time is always shared between looking after their families and carrying out work duties zoonen 2008. Therefore when positive images on both sexes and programs that are tailored to promote gender equity are broadcasted through the mass media, they are going to have a huge impact by remolding our thinking. On the other hand this can also be disastrous because some can resort to use the media in promoting gender disparity by propagating stereotyping images on gender something that experts argue is going to make gender equality in the society especially in the labor difficult to realize adorno 2004. It is an agreed fact that the media serves as a major tool in propagating messages that the influence perception of the society regarding men and women at all levels. The media has to a great extent been responsible in molding the manner in which both genders make contribution to social economic development. The current generation is very sensitive to dominant cultural roles that are propagated through the new information and technology in a captivating manner eisenstein 2006.experts have argued that although this stimulates curiosity and creativity, it is also likely to lead to mere imitation and encumber critical thinking.

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If this happens, gender equality especially in the labor force is likely to experience a major setback in the current generation more than even in the old generation. Therefore the media will play an invaluable role in enabling the current generation to put in place new models in the society on gender equality that are based on true and equal partnership and that are founded on the principle of mutual respect for both boys and girls. The media will be vital in providing these models that will enable young boys and girls to recognize each other objectively.

This will ensure that the new generations treat both genders without any bias and that both genders are give equal opportunities in workplaces especially in promotions adorno 2004. This requires that the information that is carried by mass media outlets should be attractive and should perfectly address pertinent issues within the social context. Therefore the mass media serves as an indispensable channel through which important information regarding gender equity in the society can be propagated. It is through the media that awareness on gender equity is created and possible strategies to remedy inequalities in the society especially in the labor force where it is perceived to be rampant. Adorno 2004 the role that the mass media plays in promoting gender equality the mass media is a representation of the assumptions that a given society holds about gender. The mass media has contributed both negatively and positively in promoting gender equality.

For instance studies indicate that since 1950s the way women have been portrayed in mass media especially magazines is increasingly becoming less monolithic. With the rise in feminism that created awareness in the society that women are not different in any way from the male counterparts especially in accomplishing various chores in the work places, many magazines have enhanced their attention in covering women rsquo s achievements. This is something that is increasingly promoting their position and emphasizing the fact that women are capable of making immense achievement at workplaces just like the male counterparts if given the opportunity. This has helped to change the perception that many held regarding to women holding big positions in the places of work adorno 2004. The mass media uses a wide variety of outlets such as radios, magazines, television, internet and other printed publications to reach wide variety of people in the society and consequently effect change within the society. Currently the society has started experiencing gender equality at workplaces because the mass media has been successful to a great extent in imparting knowledge, modify behavior and challenge long held attitudes especially against women in the workplaces blum 2005.