Representations of gender in the past

Key Summary

In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, only 20 to 35 per cent of characters were female , by the mid 1980s , there were more women in leading roles but still there were twice as many men on screen.

The were equal proportions of men and woman in situation comedies- although of course, the gender roles and the humour could still be traditional and sexist, despite this statistical parity- whereas in action adventure shows, only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women. A decade later a 1987 study found female characters to be the most common in comedy programes.

Marrige, parenthood and domesticity were shown on televsion to be more important for women than men.

Female characters were unlikely to work escpcially not if they were wives or mothers and even when they did this work was typcially not seen on screen.

Men were much more liekly to be adventrous, active and victorious , whereas women were more frequently shown as weak, ineffetucal, victimised, supportive, laughable or merely token females.

They are underrepresented in televsion fictional lfe they are symbolically annihilated

T.v was stubborn with game shows not bothering to change thier degrading and trivialsing views of women, sports programming remaining the preserve of men, and news programme accused of tokensim or window dressing by including some women in key postions whilst retaining a male dominated culture.

Althogh lois lane in superman is a sucessful reporter for example it is stll the heroic man who leads the story and saves the world.

The films almost always focused on the male heros , these men typically made the decsions whicch led the story and were assertive, confident and dominant. Women had important roles in many films but were far more likely than men to be shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction and offering love and support for the male characters.

The role of a woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male characters. (A quote by sharon smith from her book women and film 1973)

Kathi Mario said in her book published in 1991 that women are not only given less screen time, when were up there on the screen we are likely to be portrayed as powerless and ineffectual.

Susan faludi wrote in her book undeclared war agasint women also in 1991 that women were part of a wider blacklash against women liberation and womens careers. She also noted women being reduced to mute and incidental characters or banished altogether.