Gender Gap in Our Society

1450 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The concept of media stereotype

Gender Gap in Our Society

Language is a very powerful element. There are words in the English language that exist that are inherently biased against women. The language is arranged so that men are identified with glorified and exalted positions, and women are identified with more service-oriented positions in which men are dominating them. Even word pairs the bias is evident. In the English language, the masculine form of a word is almost always put before the feminine form of a word. Think about the following phrases: Mr. and Mrs., his and hers, boys and girls, and brothers and sisters. The word order is almost never reversed in the English language. This shows that the semantic usage of many English words contributes to the bias present in the English language. The media reports on the 2008 Presidential elections offer many excellent examples of gender bias.

On January 7, 2008 Hillary Clinton participated in a question and answer session with 16 undecided voters, mostly women, in a coffee house in Portsmouth, New Hampshire one day before the New Hampshire Primary. Kate Snow reports:

…she took an unexpected question from a woman standing in the back. "My question is very personal, how do you do it?" asked Marianne Pernold Young, a freelance photographer from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She mentioned Clinton's hair and appearance always looking perfectly coifed. “How do you, how do you keep upbeat and so wonderful?” (1)

It has been repeatedly reported that Senator Clinton choked up and became emotional when answering this question. With tears in her eyes, Senator Clinton answered:

It's not easy, and I couldn't do it if I didn't passionately believe it was the right thing to do. You know, I have so many opportunities from this country just don't want to see us fall backwards. You know, this is very personal for me. It's not just political it’s not just public. I see what’s happening and we have to reverse it.

The first example of gender bias is the fact that this voter asked about Senator Clinton’s appearance. A male politician would never be questioned about his appearance or about how he stays well coifed. Mrs. Clinton’s appearance, everything from her hair, to her clothing, to her cleavage has been reported on.

Show More
Related

  • Hillary Clinton Speech Rhetorical Analysis

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    The opening of Clintons speech effectively captures the audience’s attention; Clinton begins her speech with;

    Read More

  • Feminism And Gender Equality In The 1990's

    2191 Words  | 5 Pages

    Blatantly sexist laws and practices are slowly being eliminated while social perceptions of "women's roles" continue to stagnate and even degrade back to traditional ideals. It is these social perceptions that challenge the evolution of women as equal on all levels. In this study, I will argue that subtle and blatant sexism continues to exist throughout educational, economic, professional and legal arenas.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Rhetorical Devices In President Clinton's Address

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    In response to his alleged affair with Ms. Monica Lewinsky, who at the time was an intern at the White House, President Clinton took to a national broadcast to clear his name. In his testimony, Clinton begins with a formal and slightly apologetic tone, and then subtly shifts the blame from his actions to the nosiness of the American public, victimizing himself. There were four different tone shifts in this particular speech, and he uses this to his advantage in turning the spotlight away from his private life, and to national issues. In his address, President Clinton uses a wide variety of rhetorical devices to convince his audience, the American people, that his stance on the matter is the most valid, and to reestablish his credibility,

    Read More

  • Hillary Clinton Rhetorical Devices

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    To summarize this analysis, Hillary Clinton shows us how as we unite, the stronger our bond is. She uses clever ways to show this action. Though she did not win this presidential election, she is still loved by many. She helped herself because of the way she wrote and persuaded people to join her. Using rhetorical appeals

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Women's Rights By Hillary Rodham Clinton

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as secretary of State impact people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Hillary gave was the “The women rights speech”, in the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session where she uses strong words and emotions to appeal the audience. Even though the speech talks about women rights, she wants everyone, including men and children to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech made the audience believe in her words.

    Read More

  • Hillary Clinton's Rights Speech

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as Secretary of State impacted people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Clinton gave was the “The Women Rights Speech” at the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session, where she used strong words and emotions to appeal to the audience. Even though the speech talked about women's rights, she wanted everyone, including men and children, to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech helped people understand women live in a world where they suffer discrimination, and she proposes solutions to solve the issue.

    Read More

  • Hillary Clinton: Strategies and Goals

    3665 Words  | 8 Pages

    One strategy she uses to connect herself with her audience is giving her audience a lot of credit and respect. She often assumes she knows what they want, and that what they want is what she is offering to give. When speaking on her husband and the Lewinsky sex scandal, Hillary Clinton makes it seem as if the American people are above discussing such immature topics as the affair and the allegations, and that they instead are interested in the State of the Union Address.

    Read More

  • Horatian Satire In Beauty And The Beast

    1738 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 2008 the first woman was awarded the position of Speaker of the House, and Hillary Clinton ran for president. While Hillary had widespread support leading people to believe that the two different genders had reached equality, there were several that doubted whether or not a woman has what it takes to be a president. The women that came into power that was generally held by men, needed to perform a balancing act. This balancing act was between the characteristics of women and projecting the masculine strength and leadership needed to hold their position (Jenen 14). This problem in society has been continuing on for a long time. In the 1970’s women had no standing in academia. That women were no use to the department they were studying and

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Monroe's Motivated Sequence

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the American Rhetoric, Hilary Clinton delivered her remarks to the U.N. World Conference on Women, September 5th, 1995, in Beijing, China. During her address, she covered several issues surrounding women from around the world. Hillary motivated these women through her words and demeanor. She made it apparent that it necessary for women to come together “every day in every country,” as stated in her speech, listed on the American Rhetoric’s website. Towards the end of her speech, Hillary says, “We must move beyond rhetoric.” I do believe it is possible for a speech to truly inspire someone to move beyond words, into action for change.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Hillary Clinton's Speech, Women’s Rights are Human Rights

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    The goal of Hillary’s speech is to persuade her audience that her ideas are valid, by using ethos, pathos, and logos. Hillary is the First Lady and Senator, she shows credibility as an influential activist for woman rights. “Over the past 25 years, I have worked persistently on issues relating to women, children, and families. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the challenges facing women in my country and around the world” (Clinton 2).

    Read More

  • Hillary Clinton Women's Rights Are Human Rights Analysis

    1983 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some people believe her values are “a result of having lived through the depression” (Harris 673). She has seen the worst and hopes to make things better for her people. As a child, Clinton was “earning merit badges in girl scouts and starring in the girls softball league” (Harris 674). She has always believed women were smart and strong. Earning badges and playing sports might not seem like much, but it taught a young Clinton that women can do anything they set their mind to. Clinton went off to college and met her husband Bill Clinton there. As the couple got older, Bill decided he wanted to run for president. Hillary “went to Indiana to coordinate the campaign” (Harris 678) for Bill. From the start to the end of Bill’s presidency, Hillary was “extremely active in government affairs” (Hurley 204). She “[emphasized] the need for a global feminist agenda” (Hurley 204-205). Even though Bill was the president, Hillary applied herself as if she were the president. She encouraged equality for genders. Her speech “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” was given right in the middle of Bill’s presidency. She used her economic power to create awareness of the gender inequality in the

    Read More

  • Sexism in the Media

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    One thousand years go by and an abundant amount of people still view women in a stereotypical type of way. On the opposing view, if women did not overstretch the slightest of things, this wouldn’t be such an enormous issue. Women may be overreacting to what the media has to say about them. It is not affecting everybody but a vast majority of successful women from continuing to moving forward said Marianne Schnall. Important to realize, women are capable of doing jobs men can do. Such jobs as being an engineer, physician, mechanic, lawyer and even top notch business women! Up to the present time there is an ongoing public debate on women suffering from double standards. If it makes a female feel threatened or belittled than it may be sexist. A very interesting article this came to be because the writer had numerous accountants to keep her argument steady. A worthy writer brings up present time activities, statistics, and people being affected by the scenario and provides the reader some closure. With a devastatingly crucial issue such as women being shunned by the media, it’s not okay to have the ideas of other people in your work. In the article, “Controversial Hillary Cover of Time Illuminates Sexism in the Media” by Marianne Schnall, implies that the media is negatively affecting the chances of women becoming successful with all the sexism it is portraying. Marianne Schnall is a published writer and professional interviewer with many influential credentials that she in not afraid to use.

    Read More

  • Female Politicians Face: Gender Stereotyping by Voters

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    A subject that has drawn a great deal of scholarly attention are the burdens of female politicians. Women seeking office have to deal with a host of issues that may affect their political campaign and chances of being elected. There are several theories that address some of the obstacles female politicians face: gender stereotyping by voters have detrimental effects for female candidates (Kahn and Goldenberg 1991), male candidates have access to political resources that just are not as accessible to the female politician (Deber 1982), the portrayal of the female candidates as less than male candidates by the media damages her chances of winning (Cohen 1963), and those differences in turn shape public perceptions with the effect of ruining her fate politically (Heldman 2005). Some of the dialogue centers on the media’s role instilling the image of women politicians and its ability to shape public perception. Consequently, “nor have we escaped the sexist prism through which women in politics are portrayed in the media and viewed by the public” (Potts 2012). I must specify that the media does not control the outcome of elections, more so, directly influence public perceptions. Such a debate becomes important when the media perpetuate gender stereotypes that directly influence voters in a political context. So, the focus of this paper is examine to what extent the role of the media effect the image of women running for power positions by enforcing stereotypes in modern politics.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is only recently that sociology has begun to explore the topic of gender. Before this, inequalities within society were based primarily on factors such as social class and status. This paper will discuss gender itself: what makes us who we are and how we are represented. It will also explore discrimination towards women throughout history, focusing mainly on women and the right to vote, inequalities between males and females in the work place and how gender is represented in the media.

    Read More

  • What Is Gender Bias Or Motherhood Disadvantage?

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, women have had to protest and fight for equal rights. In society, women have been put on the back burner. Due to the different standards, men and women have had to uphold. These standards are seen in homes, workplaces, schools and all throughout society. By definition, gender bias is an unequal treatment of employment opportunity , and expectations due to attitudes based on the sex of the employee. The idea of discrimination is the unjustification or prejudicial treatment on different categories of people; especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. In regards to undermine women: according to the article, “Gender Bias or Motherhood Disadvantage? Judgments of Blue Collar Mothers and Fathers in the Workplace”

    Read More

More about Gender Gap in Our Society

Open Document