How Media Influences Gender Identity

There is a large discrepancy between the terms gender and sex. Gender refers to the way in which an individual portrays themselves in society, whether that be traits of masculinity or femininity. Whereas sex indicates the biological aspects between men and women, such as chromosomes, hormones, and internal and external organs.

There is a vast array of influences when it comes to how we view men and women in our society, the greatest of these influences being media. This paper aims to explore the ways in which media influences the ideology of what it means to be male or female within a society.

Plastered throughout society at every turn, media effortlessly yet effectively models a perception of gender throughout our daily lives. All media platforms portray genders, often times insinuating unrealistic ideologies and stereotypical perceptions of what it means to be male or female. Three recurring themes in which media influences gender identity include:

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1. The blurring definition of the terms sex vs. gender, which can lead to a confusion of identity when it comes to biological sex vs. gender expression.
2. The false stereotypes encompassing what it means to be a male or female in society.
3. The challenges individuals are facing due to this dissociation of gender expression and sexual identity throughout society.

Media’s Misinterpretation of Sexual Identity and Gender

Derived from the Latin word ‘genus’ via Old French, gender originally meant “kind”. In time through common use, it came to exemplify both masculinity and femininity. The term’s main application was in grammar, applied to words classified as having masculine, feminine, or neutral gender. In 1926, Henry Fowler argued that it’s use was strictly a grammatical term that should not be carried through in other spheres.

However, in today’s society, one of the many acceptable definitions of gender is as a synonym for “sex” (Weber Dictionary). Although the seemingly more preferred usage of biological differences is one’s sex and gender to that of social roles, both gender and sex are often times used interchangeably. This becomes problematic because it invites confusion in determining if a trait is cultural, or biological. Perfectly weaved throughout today’s society, media plays a large role in contributing to the perplexity of understanding gender and sexual identity.

The media depicts a vague often blurred definition of sex and gender. From the moment an individual is born, their lives are built around their biological identity, which given time, is ultimately influenced by their environmental, social, and cultural experiences. While young people, to a certain extent, gleam an understanding of their sexuality from their parents, and an even greater ideology from their same-sex peers, media’s influence far surpasses the latter (Pittis, 2013).

In modern society, half of the world’s population are internet users, and because of this statistic, exposure to the influence of media is generally unavoidable. Because of this exposure, there is a good chance that in some way, media will influence how individuals conceptualize gender. The media presents a different view towards relationships and situations, bolstering societies eternal fascination for what life looks like, in lives outside their own (Daramola, 2015).

For example:

• Romantic or domestic dramas portray how neighbors, friends, family and lovers interact. When an individual falls in love for the first time, how do they know how to act? And where does one learn the typical dynamics of friendship? Society’s main reference points are television and films.
• Magazines aimed at women, and increasingly those for men, are strewn with advice on how to live, look and interact.
• Movie heros, female or male, are almost uniformly assertive and single minded. While not necessarily a problem, the attractive toughness of these characters are continually advertised to society and can easily impact one’s own ideologies and preferences.
• Video game characters
• Cartoons

Over the last 30 years, research has shown that media entertainment greatly affects the development of sexual attitudes among adolescents(Gruber, 2000) This is why it’s important to be aware of what information media is sharing to society. Adolescents pick up cues through media on how to act a certain way within their gender, so it can be difficult for those individuals if they find themselves struggling to fit into these strict gender ideologies.

According to the Common Sense Media, a lifetime of exposure to stereotypical ideologies may become so ingrained, it can ultimately affect an individuals self-worth, career choices, relationships and ability to reach their full potential (Nojadera,2016).

Media has a great influence on how society interprets gender roles amongst men and women, which makes it important to be able to distinguish the misguided portrayals of gender roles and sexual identity amongst one’s society, especially when it can ultimately affect how one views themselves and those around them.

References

1. Nojadera, Amanda. “Media to Support Your Kid’s Gender Identity.” Common Sense Media: Ratings, Reviews, and Advice, Common Sense Media, 3 Oct. 2016, www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/media-to-support-your-kids-gender-identity.
2. Steinke, Jocelyn, and Maria Knight Lapinski. “Assessing Media Influences on Middle School–Aged Children’s Perceptions of Women in Science Using the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST).” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2007, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1075547007306508.
3. Gruber, Enid, and Joel W. Grube. ‘Adolescent sexuality and the media a review of current knowledge and implications.’ Western Journal of Medicine, Mar. 2000.
4. Pittis, Patrick. ‘Staking Out Gender: A Poststructuralist Analysis of Gender Roles and Identity in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’ May 2013.