Socialization is a process of social interaction through which people acquire (1) personality and identity and (2) the way of life of their society.
Through socialization, we internalize the culture of our society.
The result of successful socialization is that the world becomes so comprehensible that we can take it for granted.
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SOCIALIZATION THROUGH THE MEDIA
This icon indicates television programming for children
age 7 and up, with fantasy violence.
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process of learning the social expectations
and attitudes associated with one's sex.
Sociologists explain through gender
socialization why human males and females
behave in different ways: they learn
different social roles. For example, girls
learn to do different household chores than
boys; girls learn to bake and clean, and boys
learn to mow lawns and take out garbage
Gender Socialization Occurs through such diverse means as parental
attitudes, schools, how peers interact with each other, and mass media. Sometimes gender roles lead to inequality; for example, women's social roles were once more restricted regarding politics, and prohibited women from voting. Some researchers believe that biological differences underlie some behavioral differences between males and females; others disagree.
Gender Socialization
Refers to the process of learning “appropriate” gendered behavior through agents of socialization.
Though gender roles have changed, they remain prevalent and powerful.
Studies show that even parents who do not believe they are socializing their children according to gender are, in fact, doing so.
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GENDER SOCIALIZATION
This process has been found to begin before birth.
Parental presence and behavior play a role in gender socialization.
Toys, television, movies, and even books also contribute to differential role construction.
Cross-culturally, it is okay for girls to choose boy toys, but not vice versa.
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Create, manage, and control impressions of what is deemed important and real
May inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes
May teach individuals to become obedient consumers
Exert powerful socializing influence but effects difficult to measure
Most effects impersonal and transmitted in one direction
Research on effects of violence in mass media debated
Research into influence of media
McRobbie – 1970s found that girls magazines tended to encourage romance and ‘keeping a man’ often through domesticity.
Currie (1999) found dramatic increase in emphasis on beautification. Concept of ‘slimblondeness’
Rutherford 2000 onwards - Growth of male magazines FHM, Loaded etc. and focus on body image.
The Mass Media
Magazines for teenage adolescents encourage them to concentrate on appearance and romance rather than on education and careers;
Women’s magazine’s are apprentice manuals for motherhood and domesticity;
Adverts continue to show women disproportionately in domestic roles and emphasise their physical looks and sex appeal at the expense of ability and personality;
MASS MEDIA
Children learn a lot about gender from the mass
media
Males and females are portrayed differently
Female characters are sexualized, even when they
are portrayed in serious roles such police officers,
nurses, doctors, and lawyers
Men on TV are portrayed as heroes and problem
solvers
As the media continues to represent men in advertisements more than women, our society continues to respect and represent men more than women in every aspect of our daily lives. Women continue to be paid less at certain jobs, and experience more discrimination than men.
men are more present in television commercials than women these trends are one measure of how society views women and men.
male voice-overs occur approximately 90% of the time, and there is unequal gender representation in commercials.
there is a greater use of female product representatives for domestic products and… male product representatives for nondomestic products.”
MASS MEDIA
The Future of Gender Roles
Ideas about characteristics that are traditionally associated with men (aggressiveness, independence, strength) and women (nurturance, passivity, emotions) are changing.
Both sexes are considered equal, and women and men may pursue the same occupational, political, and domestic roles.
Gaining power through its influence in Society
Different media houses trying to gain monopoly
Freedom of media in democracy Responsible or not???????