This paper explores how sexism can influence people’s life, where we perceive sexism, and the resulting issues. It will also show how sexism is utilized within the social structure of society. Because of gender map, also known as gender socialization, we are pushed into different paths in life. Individuals and groups that influence people’s orientation to life are called agents of socialization. Parents, peers, and mass media are the three major agents that push people in believing how they should be or act in a certain way. Growing up either as a female or male not only does it influence people on how they should feel about themselves but also on what they should attain in life and how they should relate to others. Socialization is vital for …show more content…
Media is an inescapable and persuasive socializing force. As stated in the article, Gender Issues in The Media, “Young children are especially vulnerable to the teachings of media because they don 't have the critical capacity necessary to distinguish between fantasy and reality, to identify persuasive intent, or to understand irony and disregard stereotypes”. Media contributes to the development of children capacity because most of their knowledge and experience comes from media. The image of a women and girls in the media are shown performing domestic chores, sex objects, and victims of beating. Girls are also shown as beautiful, skinny, rich, happy and confident about themselves. We are constantly being pressured through television, ads, magazines on how we should look, act, and dress. I was once one of those girls that got pressured into thinking I was supposed to look like a model, skinny and beautiful, and that makeup was key to look beautiful. I suffered from anorexia nervosa for some couple of months till my parents got me the help I needed. There were days when I wouldn’t want to eat so wouldn’t have to gain weight. According to Brittney Valderrama (2015), “Images in the media today project an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves”. Being attractive and skinny is expected for women to be but the media doesn’t notice the negative effects it’s cause us. We are constantly looking around to see if we measure up to those around
The media, through its many outlets, has a lasting effect on the values and social structure evident in modern day society. Television, in particular, has the ability to influence the social structure of society with its subjective content. As Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hébert write in their article, “GENDER, RACE, AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION”, the basis of our accepted social identities is heavily controlled by the media we consume. One of the social identities that is heavily influenced is gender: Brooks and Hébert conclude, “While sex differences are rooted in biology, how we come to understand and perform gender is based on culture” (Brooks, Hébert 297). With gender being shaped so profusely by our culture, it is important to be aware of how social identities, such as gender, are being constructed in the media.
Sexism is a highly talked about issue read about online, seen in the news, and experienced in the day to day lives of many. The importance of this issue can be found in many writings. Authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Linda Hasselstrom, and Judy Brady have all discussed the topic of sexism in writings and how they affected their lives. Although each writer addresses the issue of sexism, each author confronts a different type of sexism; the kind we are born into, the kind we learn growing up, and the kind that is accepted by society at the end of the day.
Sexism can have many negative impacts on the way women view themselves, research was conducted and it showed that when exposed to modern sexism, women expressed negative self-directed emotions. Modern sexism exposure also resulted in stereotypical self-presentation, where in contrast, women who were exposed to old-fashioned sexism displayed less self-defeating behavior. This research concluded that women were more likely to stand up and defend themselves against the old-fashioned gender stereotypes, but let the modern day expectations defeat them (Ellemers & Barreto, 2009).
In Devor’s article, “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the social Meanings of Gender” one can better understand how society has a big impact on how gender is perceived. Understanding
In 1997, Allan G. Johnson published his book “The Gender Knot” which focuses on gender roles and stereotypes. Johnson covers many points in this article on how society and culture affect gender, such as: the difference in male and female biology, the way women look at themselves (societies’ beauty standards), the history of cultural abuse of woman and children, and the male dominated world. Although Johnson makes some valid and compelling points, I disagree with him partially based on today’s culture and my religion.
Author and feminist Alix Kates Shulman said once: “Sexism goes so deep that at first it’s hard to see, you think it’s just reality” (McEneany). That quote sums up perfectly the way our society runs. There is no class teaching children how to act according the their gender. Yet little boys and little girls learn at a very young age what is expected of them. They get ideas about their gender roles from their parents, their school teachers and subconsciously from the toys they play with and the television shows they watch.
Sexism is defined as prejudice or discrimination based on sex . When approached with the topic of sexism and which sex it affects the most, women are generally the first thought that comes to mind. This is because women have faced a certain degree of discrimination all throughout history. Sexism is an issue that covers a wide range of circumstances. For example, it can be something inconsequential, like the outdated idea that women cannot be strong, but it can also be something substantial, like the glass ceiling in the job market. Although modern women are afforded a lot more opportunities and privileges than women in the past, there still exists a certain stigma surrounding women and their capabilities. Sexism in respect to women is a largely
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In our society today, people would rather see what celebrities are up to than what is going on with our health plan. Watching the news makes us aware of the latest trend, new gadget, who’s in rehab, or who has an eating disorder. In the eyes of society, women like Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, and Megan Fox are the epitome of perfection. What girl wouldn’t want to look like them? Unfortunately, this includes most of the girls in the US. Through TV shows, commercials, magazines or any form of advertising, the media enforces a certain body type which women emulate. The media has created a puissant social system where everyone must obtain a thin waist and large breasts. As a society, we are so image obsessed with the approval of being thin and disapproval of being overweight, that it is affecting the health of most women. Women much rather try to fit the social acceptance of being thin by focusing on unrealistic body images which causes them to have lower self esteem and are more likely to fall prey to eating disorders, The media has a dangerous influence on the women’s health in the United States.
The ideology that one sex is superior to the other is called sexism. The presumption of male sexism led to patterns of prejudice and discrimination against women. These prejudices and discriminations have led to many beliefs or ideas of why women are inferior to men. They range from brain size to sexual differences, including personalities based on genitalia. Cross-cultural studies demonstrate how the socialization process and societal expectations of men and women produce variances in sex-role norms and behavior.
Sexism has a negative effect on society because women are not paid as much as men. Women are being treated as the lesser sex and that has now impacted how they are paid. Mary Ann Cooper wrote in her article Wage Gap for Women: Both Sides of the Story,
In today's world, what we see in the media dictates our world. Media, by definition, is a form of mass communication, such as television, newspapers, magazines and the internet. Since the beginning of this media phenomenon, men and women have been treated very differently, whether it be through advertisements or news stories. As women have gained more rights and social freedoms, the media has not changed their views on women. They are often viewed as objects, whether for a man's pleasure, or for as a group to sell only cleaning products to.The portrayal of women in the media has a highly negative impact on the easily shaped young women of today. Women of power are often criticized, others hypersexualized. The media also directs advertisements for household things at women.
From a young age , many individuals worldwide are socialized according to their gender and what is appropriate for males and females. Socializing according to ones gender starts from the moment you are born when the nurses give you either a blue or pink blanket to wrap the child in. This allows society to known whether the child is a male or female. The double standard for gender occurs within many areas of development for instance the clothes one wears, the toys that are placed with, the jobs and careers one chooses in their later life. Attachment given by a child's parent reinforces an individual to be socialized and children can also contribute how their parents treat and see them , these are social constructs within parenting (Ambert,2012). All of these things can be gender separated and still are in today's society. Another area where males and females are socialized differently is in the area of sexuality and what is acceptable for males is not always for the female gender. Gender specific norms govern the appropriate amount of partners , when it is acceptable to engage in sexual activity and what motivates ones behavior (Kreager &Staff, 2009). This shows society individuals are socialized according to their gender because males are socialized into behaving a different way than girls but it still be accepted as a norm. Women are taught that it is okay to have sexual relationships but they need a reason, example being in a committed relationship, where as men just need a place. This is a common perception based on ones gender , formed from a western conservative view point ( Fugere et.al, 2008). Gender socialization is a process where boys are seen to be given wings and girls are to be given roots (Myers, Spencer, Jordan...
Sexism is both discrimination based on gender and the attitudes, stereotypes, and the cultural essentials that support this discrimination. Another name for sexism is gender discrimination. Sexism can affect
A man should not cry; a woman should want to be a mother. Men should strive to be smart and rich; women should strive to be beautiful. These are examples of gender roles present in today’s society. Gender roles are defined as set behavioral guidelines within which members of their respective gender are supposed to act. They are not written down per say, but they are engrained in the culture as a whole. This essay will focus specifically on gender roles as they are present in American society.
Mass media includes TV, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines and technology such as the internet and e-mail. The media is a source used to inform and entertain the public. Media carries information, ideas, thoughts and opinions out to the public. The force media reveals gives a huge impact on influencing people’s lives. The media can be equally positive and negative in terms of the views it has on women, as well as an influential means for education and socialization. Even though the media enhances women issues, it also gives negative impact, illustrating violence against women through pornography and descriptions of women as a female bo...