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Stereotypes of Gender: Changing Images of Women

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Changing Images of Women in the Mass Media as background information. Analyze how images on television, the movies, and in video games reinforce society's expectations of gender using the three major sociological perspectives. Research how the media also changes these stereotypes. Consider the messages the television programs, movies and video games transmit about appropriate female and male behavior and if there is variety contained in the presentations.

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Solution Summary

This solution discusses stereotypes of gender in the Mass Media focusing particularly on the prevalent pigeonholing of 'women' as represented in the various forms of publishing (print/web/tv/movies/broadcast). The solution looks into the most prevalent and available stereotypes as examples and goes through them using various sociological theories as well as sociological perspectives as required by the particular post. The solution also provides concise definitions of concepts enclosed within the subject matter. Since the post asks for help in putting together an essay-answer, the solution provides a step-by-step guide in putting together a paper based on the information given in the solution. A word version of the solution is attached plus an Essay on Sociological Imagination by C.W.Mills & Women in the Mass Media by S. Lovero to provide the student ideas for expansion of discussion.

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Hi,
I wanted to give you a solution that covers all the necessary aspects of your post by starting with the basics. Your post/professor is asking for you to analyze & look into the various images of women in the mass media by using various sociological perspectives. This is quite complicated to the actually because you cannot just discuss the various aspects that would interest you (i.e. how Mass media objectifies women) but you have to tackle it as if you were viewing it from a philosophical/sociological theory. This means you will have to demonstrate knowledge of at least 3 various sociological points as you tackle certain aspects of that particular image you wish to discuss. This also means that you will have to really understand what sociological perspectives are first. First off, they are 'theories' or philosophies that social researchers use to engage in abstract knowledge or ideas. When one is asked to engage in a subject matter using a perspective, one will theorize or philosophize - that is, play with ideas, speculate, contend about the world but according to the particular assumptions & processes of a particular perspective or viewpoint. Some sociologists use sociological viewpoints and multi-theories when tackling an issue or sociological debate because they 'fit' the subject, some do so because they believe in that 'school or paradigm of thought'. If this may seem like 'Big' words to you, don't feel intimidated, as long as you know the basics, this is actually quite easy. Think of it as a tool in thinking through a problem. Social scientists use perspectives & theories as resources in research & in presenting issues. Some in the social science world label perspectives/theories as particular 'schools of thought', some look at it as paradigms. Paradigms take on a few meanings since the time of Thomas Kuhn who first proposed 'paradigm shifts'. A paradigm shift happens when a particular perspective cannot explain the phenomenon anymore reaching critical mass resulting to a breakdown of that set of ideas. A classic example of this is Einstein's theory of relativity replacing Newtonian's linear physics. In the Social sciences, some could argue that empirical positivist thought reached critical mass long ago when it cannot explain particular social aspects of relationship in human relations, hence, the birth of qualitative/ethnographic study models. But let us not get ahead of ourselves here; let's tackle the issue/posting at hand. First off, I'll give you a set of terminologies to clarify their differences & relation to each other.

Sociological theories - are a set of theoretical framework social scientists use to observe & in return explain the phenomena that is the social world. The Classic positivist approach emerged in the early days and was used, tested and 'adapted' from ---- giving birth to the following popular approaches used by social scientists today:

Ethnomethodology: a ...

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  • MPhil/PhD (IP), Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • MA, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • Certificate, Geva Ulpan (via Universita Tel Aviv)
  • BA, University of the Philippines
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