gender stereotypes
The gender stereotypes we see in the media are just one way that children learn about what is expected of them as boys and girls. These messages can have a huge impact on how they view themselves, their peers, and the world around them.
The researchers found that most of the photos (71 percent) of boys and young men showed them engaged in some kind of action like playing sports or exercising.
You should take note that the study found that most of the photos (71 percent) of boys and young men showed them engaged in some kind of action like playing sports or exercising. The researchers also noted a significant difference between the number of girls and young women who were shown doing something active, versus those who were shown just standing around. A whopping 92 percent of photographs featuring girls showed them with their bodies "more or less still," while just 60 percent showed young women engaged in some sort of physical activity.
When it comes down to adults, there is also a notable difference between male versus female representation when it comes to your standard picture frame photo: Nearly 67 percent more photos featured adult men than adult women.
Interestingly, adult men were shown in more varied activities than any other demographic. Not only did they participate in sports and exercise, they were also shown working, driving, doing household chores, gardening or completing home improvement projects. While this variety may sound positive at first, it’s important to remember that many of the activities depicted were traditionally male roles and women were rarely shown working or being athletic.
The study also found that the majority of depictions of adults in the media were white, heterosexual and male. This is significant because it reinforces stereotypes about gender roles, which can lead to discrimination in hiring practices, wages and other areas.
For example, when we see a man working in an office setting or driving a truck while women are shown doing housework or hanging out with friends at home reinforces the stereotype that men should be breadwinners while women take care of domestic duties. This can have real consequences for both men and women who don't fit into these narrow boxes — especially since many jobs require collaboration within teams instead of individual efforts.
On the other hand, most of the photos (74 percent) showing girls and young women portrayed them as passive subjects – standing alone, sitting down or lying down.
On the other hand, most of the photos (74 percent) showing girls and young women portrayed them as passive subjects – standing alone, sitting down or lying down. In contrast to adult women’s active poses, only 27 percent of images featuring girls and young women showed them working or being athletic.
Most surprisingly, we found that girls and young women were more likely than adults to be portrayed in sexualized ways – 48 percent of photos showed a girl or young woman wearing sexy clothing (for example short skirts) or engaging in some sort of physical contact with an adult male such as hugging him.
Of course there is nothing wrong with sitting or lying down but the lack of variation was striking when compared to photos of boys and young men. The number of images of women active in sports or exercise was barely half that of boys and men despite evidence that female participation in sports is at an all-time high.
The researchers found that girls were portrayed as passive subjects, and boys as active subjects. Women were portrayed as passive subjects, but men were also shown doing things around the home.
The study showed that while both girls and boys are depicted in a wide range of roles across all five media outlets studied, there was a lack of variation in how they were portrayed. For instance:
– In TV shows aimed at children, most of the female characters were passive; they sat or lay down while male characters did things like play games or talk to each other.
In magazines aimed at teenage girls, many more depictions showed them being subjected to violence than depicting them exercising or playing sports (which tend not to show up on the covers).
We didn’t see any depictions of older women who were active in sports or other physical activities. And while older men were occasionally portrayed as athletes on the playing field, they were much more often shown engaged in traditional male practices like hunting or fishing.
When you think of older people, what springs to mind?
If you’re like most people, it’s probably not the image of an elderly woman playing golf or jogging on a beach. And while older men are more likely than their female counterparts to be shown as active sports participants and athletes, they are also more likely to be depicted as hunters and fishermen.
What this tells us is that there is a larger cultural bias against athletic activities among women in our society than among men. And if we have images that associate good health with physical activity for both sexes—and not just for men—we may see more women engaging in physical activities as part of their routine lives.
People generally show children only what they think is appropriate behavior based on gender and age
I believe that parents, teachers, and other adults often show children only what they think is appropriate behavior based on gender and age. For example, I was told as a young girl that "girls don't play football." My father told me not to throw like a girl (i.e., he taught me how to throw like a boy). I saw my mother doing the same things in our house: she would cook with her friends while watching television in the living room; they would gossip about other people while cooking; they would talk about men's bodies; their conversations were full of innuendoes and double entendres directed at men. The women never talked about their own bodies or about their sexuality: everything was directed toward men. When I look back now at my mother’s life—she came from a poor family but was well educated—I realize that she lived her whole life within these limitations imposed by patriarchy.
My father worked hard as an engineer so we could live well in France (at least compared with Poland). But when he retired he became very depressed because he had no idea how to be retired! He couldn't find anything else productive for himself except for his gardening hobby—and even this was done almost unconsciously because if one day he decided not to go out into his garden then nothing bad happened either way!
Conclusion
We’ve come a long way since the 1980s, when most women were depicted as sedentary and passive. But we still have a ways to go before girls and boys are shown in equal numbers engaging in the same activities. It’s important that as parents, teachers and caregivers show our kids images of people doing things they can relate to so they can be inspired by role models who look like them. If we want them to be active, healthy adults one day then we need to make sure there are positive images of that kind of behavior available for them too!