Gender Socialization in Media

A huge place we see gender socialization is in the media. I am focusing more on younger kids, but it can be seen throughout all types of media. In the first link below there is a little video that shows pieces of Disney movies. When kids are younger Disney movies are a very popular form of entertainment. As the video shows, the characters in the movies show kids how they should act based on their sex.

The girls are usually in need of a man to come save them. There are almost no cartoon movies based on succesful women. The idea of women staying home and cleaning the house is seen in a lot of the films. For the boys watching the movies, they get the idea that they need to be strong and not afraid. The heros in the movies are always men, and they always have big muscles. Usually the end of the movies comes down to two men fighting for the women. Whoever is the stronger of the two, will win the girl. Women are seen more as objects for men.

Almost all disney princesses wear pretty dresses, and are poliet. They are seen as innocent. The men have fit bodies and usually have their muscles showing. The men are seen as more powerful than the women.  It gives young girls the idea that they should be pretty, thin, and dress in girly clothes. Boys get the impression that they need to be able to fight, and also be fit. Disney movies is just a small example of media socializing gender. It is seen through tv shows, commercials, advertisments etc. I also included a link to a page on gender socialization through toys since we have recently been discusing that in the forum.

http://www.feministfatale.com/2008/10/gender-socialization-in-the-media-from-childhood-to-adulthood/

http://www.inforefuge.com/gender-roles-media

http://www.unc.edu/~dcderosa/STUDENTPAPERS/childrenbattles/toysrusdenise.htm

8 thoughts on “Gender Socialization in Media

  1. I did a little research on Disney and found that they offer health insurance to the same sex partners of their employees, and also allow same sex partners to have wedding ceremonies on their grounds. They also donated around $250,000 to Obama’s campaign and $28,000 to Romney’s. But within the State of Florida, they donated 90 cents for every dollar toward Republican candidates. Mostly because they are trying to build a contingency against allowing casinos in the state, which would be in competition for their tourism dollars. As far as the gender stereotypes they put across in their movies, it’s all about profits, and as long as people are going to pay for their movies, that will probably not change. It is important for parents to teach their children that what they see in the movies is not all real. We can’t depend on big corporation to teach our children norms and values. But we can choose to not go to their movies.

  2. This made me think of The Little Mermaid right away. She is a very strong willed girl you goes on an adventure to do something for herself. Granted she hit some bumps in the road but her father is there to help her out. For young girls to learn to trust their father and to know that he will be there to help you even though he can get mad at times is a huge lesson and I am glad that that movie is my daughters favorite. But you are right that most do depict the fact that boys should be tough and save the damsel in distress while the girl just keeps to herself. But like Mary said it should be up to the parents to teach the children that the movies are exactly that, a movie.

    1. She does give up a part of who she is but it is to reach out for something knew and exciting. For something that she believed in and wanted to be apart of. I know we should be who we are and proud of that but we also need to do things that can better us as a whole. She believed in herself to go get something that she wanted. To reach out to new people and a new wonderous world. Her ambition and bravery helped her reach her goal, find the love of her life, and eventually have a family while keeping her connections to her true self and her father and sisters. I know it is just a fairytale that things don’t always end in a win-win situation.

  3. I found it interesting in the last article that Sesame Street and Fisher Price have gender neutral toys up until the age of 4. It would be interesting to know why the neutrality stops at 4 years old. Is it because a child at that age is getting ready to start a formal education where they will be forced into gender socialization?

  4. The Disney Princess movies are targeted right toward young girls and they absolutely have the gender socialization to teach young girls that a woman is to wear light feminine dresses to look pretty for her man. It also teaches them they are to stay at home and take care of the house and to be saved by their prince.

  5. This is a very good point. Popular children’s books (just like cartoons) often show strong gender stereotypes — especially those that were written decades ago, but are still popular. We just read ‘Flat Stanley’ with my son, which is a very entertaining children’s book written back in the sixties. As I was reading it, I was thinking: oh my, this is so sexist, it probably wouldn’t get published today! The standards were different back then.

  6. Now that you say that its true. You never see a women being the successful or helpful one, it is always the guy who saves the day. Also they do make kids think girls cook, clean and wear pretty pink, yellow, or purple dress, like that’s normal. Boys are shown they have to be strong and powerful to succeed. A women can do a mans job.

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