Essay Example on Gender Roles: Perception & Media Impacts

Gender roles have always been perceived as wrongfully. Both in cultural and modern viewing, there are some roles specified to be completed by men and women. This viewing brings a false idea of the tasks associated with gender. The media is a potent tool in spreading the differences in the visualization of the existing gender roles. Media describes different functions following types of work, house chores, education levels, dressing codes, decision making, and relationship dominance status. The following is a detailed paper explaining how the media views women and men in different ways regarding the roles they play in society.

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Many job specifications advertised through media platforms like the internet have specific requirements, and some even indicate gender. Right from economic specifications, as stated by Miller (2004) that a more significant percentage of women's population are intentionally excluded from making financial contributions. This viewing makes women seem inferior and incapable of generating into economic income. In agribusiness, the female farmers earn lower income compared to the male farmers. Not only in agriculture but in most work industries, women are given inferior positions with lower salaries than men. In cases where promotions pop up, the first people to be considered for job promotion are usually the men. Moreover, men do not take working under female supervision lightly. The inferiority against the female gender is slowly diminishing the female recognition in areas of work and making them less vibrant in their workplaces. Even in traditional society, women were issued light duties while men were perceived to handle more cumbersome tasks.

House chores are another issue of discussion whereby just the mentioning of the word chores brings a female figure into the picture. There are numerous activities within the household, most of which are claimed to be the woman's responsibilities. It is sporadic for a man to be seen cooking while the wife is seated watching television. It is also upon the woman to watch the kids and make sure the house is cleaned correctly. In the same way, a woman will rarely be the bread weaner of the family where a working man is present in the house. The media contributes to such acts through the daily publications and filming that are shown on internets and television sites. Just from the movies we watch, there are specific family roles that are acted out by women, and there are those acted by men. The cartoons that children watch also define the female roles from male characters. The superheroes make up a considerable percentage of the male counterpart while the female is usually the princesses in trouble and those undergoing miserable lives. Children will grow up knowing that the female beings are weaker and the males are superior.

In terms of education, as stated by Payne (2001), there are some courses in colleges that are ruled out to be for a specific gender. This perception is entirely from the human mind, and there is no statement that neither prohibits a man from studying fashion courses, nor a lady from studying architecture. Association of courses with gender impact the ability of diversity in terms of education. Some media sources also offer debates on how far in studies the male party is supposed to be educated. Some parents also encourage female children into early marriage or venturing into talent-based businesses rather than continuing with studies to their desired level. Moreover, the men live with the perception that they must be well educated to sustain the families that they will have soon. Once the female gender is discouraged from studying further, they become more dependent on men for financial support, which should not be the case. Statistics show a more significant number of learned professors and doctors are men, whereas the female gender that was lucky enough to further their studies are the nurses.

Dressing code is another distinctive factor of gender, and one's gender can be identified from how they are dressed. Due to the changes in fashion, women began wearing dresses skirts while men wore trousers and shorts. As technology advanced, women identified to wear tight pants and shorts, revealing their thighs. Fancy clothes also played a role in female identification while the men wore dark-colored clothes loosely hanging from their bodies. Accessories like chains and earrings were also associated with ladies, and if a man wore these accessories, they are considered gay or homosexual (Wood, 1994).

Relationship wise, there are roles for the female and male. The basis of most relationships begins when a man approaches a woman and not the other way around. A woman may not have the power to openly express her feelings towards a man since it would only mean that she is desperate for love. Even in most marriage proposals, the man is the one who takes the honor of asking for a lady's hand in marriage. Back again to the media, this occurrence is also visible. If by any chance, a woman was to propose, I believe it would be the talk of ages in all media sources. Decision making has always been perceived as the man's duty not only in the house but even on political grounds. Most of the ruling leaders are men, and men present in the cabinet always oppose the few female leaders. Men believe that women cannot make long term decisions and are emotionally incapable of handling pressure from arising consequences of poor choices.

My primary point of discussion is broadcast media, radio, and television, which is portrayed in live broadcasts. There are various channels on the tv that directly or indirectly impact our viewing of gender roles in our current livelihood. The radio presenters may also bring up debates touching on gender matters bringing a contemplation of what should be carried out by which gender. Television advertisements also tend to cut out specific roles for women and men. Just like in the video link I have provided below; it shows a woman in the kitchen struggling to unclog a blocked sink. The kitchen location rings to the mind that the woman belongs to kitchen work. What makes this short film more intriguing is the fact that a male hero comes to her rescue with a solution to her problem. The general understanding that instantly comes to the mind is that the male figure is always the problem solvers. Now it is clear that the woman is not able to find a solution on her own without depending on a man for assistance.

Media depiction of gender roles in the present times can cause severe economic problems (Jansen, 2002). For one, in terms of employment, when more men are prioritized for better-earning positions, most women will not be able to satisfy their financial needs. Some women may opt for immoral behaviors like prostitution to gain special favors as an alternative for earning money. Resultantly, there will be an increase in unwanted pregnancies, which may cost the population distribution. Some children may be brought to life causing improper balancing or abortions to hide the shameful act. In cases of abortion, the mother may end up losing her life or contracting some very terrible illness like HIV/aids which requires special attention and medication. The communication systems, therefore, need to change the way the message is relayed and ensure proper signals are laid out to the right audience. Television and radio are widely used forms of media, and it is, therefore, essential to have a positive impact on those using it.

References

https://youtu.be/4TWAMQRBSNwJansen, S. (2002). Critical communication theory: power, media, gender and technology, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD.

Miller, G. (2004), 'Frontier masculinity in the oil industry: the experience of women engineers,' Gender, Work and Organization, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 47-73.

Payne, K. E. (2001). Different but Equal: Communication between the sexes. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Wood, J. (1994). Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender. Retrieved 5 December 2019, from https://www.nyu.edu/classes/jackson/causes.of.gender.inequality/Readings/Wood%20-%20Gendered%20Media%20-%2094.pdf