Women vs. Men in the Media

The media's stereotypes in society today include both men and women. Television seems to devalue the importance of women in our society. It is a fact that women out number men in our society, however men out number women on most television shows. On dramas, cartoons, and even soap operas men tend to out number women. Even though the majority of the audience are female, the women who appear on television have their lives portrayed differently then the lives of their males. In TV shows, it shows men more employed than women.

Advertising feeds into stereotypes of both men and women in society as well. For example women are much more likely to appear in an advertisement for personal hygiene products than men. In these advertisements women are usually shown as domestic housewives. Men in commercials are more likely to hold positions of power.

Advertisements featuring men are usually shown as rare when it comes to domestic situations. When a man is portrayed in a commercial performing a simple household chore like washing his clothes, it is portrayed as unnatural or almost humorist. There is a Flash multi-purpose cleaner advertisement where a man offers to take over the job of scrubbing the floor from his wife. When the wife leaves, the husband uses Flash and demonstrates how effortless cleaning can be. When the wife returns, it appears as though he has scrubbed the whole floor; the wife is very happy and she rubs her husbands back. This commercial shows that cleaning is a woman's job and that if a man decides to help out with it, he should be praised. On the other hand, when a woman is shown in a male dominated position she is usually punished not rewarded.

Women face different stereotypes than men in regards to their sexuality. On television commercials and magazines advertisements, women are often shown as objects instead of human beings. It is not uncommon to look through a magazine and see advertisements that do not even have a picture of a complete woman just a body part or a section of her. The women in most advertisements posses a body image that is impossible for the average woman to ever have unless she starves herself.

The media teaches men to be a lot different, on most television shows men are shown as confident, arrogant, immature, and only concerned with getting the girl. Shows like The Bernie Mac Show and movies like the James Bond series all show at least a few of these qualities. It is rare that you will ever see a male TV star that is not confident. Males learn that if you do not know something, act like you do so you won't show any sign of weakness. This is why society sees it as acceptable for women to cry and men to brag. With men, the media sends the message to get the girl and get as many as you can.