Discuss how mass media and media images affect gender socialization

Question

What will be an ideal response

Answer 1

(Refer to the subsection of the chapter, "Socialization into Gender.") Define gender socialization, which refers to different attitudes and behaviors expected because of one's sex. (Continue with a summarization of the next subsection, "Gender Messages in the Mass Media.") Indicate the vast exposure to media events, such as 20,000 commercials a year, the amount of television typically viewed by boys and girls, and the content of this exposure. There is a spectrum of stereotypical, culturally molded images for boys as well as girls. Indicate specifically the nature of these stereotypes and the ways in which they are transmitted. Include in your answer the different ways in which the media portrays boys as being aggressive and girls as being cooperative, and the ways that boys are shown in various social locations while girls are often featured as being at home. In primetime TV, males are portrayed in higher status than females and in greater frequency than females, who tend to be portrayed in supportive positions and in roles of victims who must be rescued by the male hero.