The Problem

Women, minorities, and LGBTQ people are underrepresented in the media

Media and technology have become a major influence on every generation alive today. We are constantly surrounded by it, whether it be with cell phones, televisions, iPads, or computers. According to the textbook Gendered Lives, 99% of U.S. households today have a television in the home, and 65% of those homes have 3 or more (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p.220). However, there are rising issues that come with the increased influence that media has; and a lot of the issues stem from the misrepresentation of genders and the underrepresentation of women and minorities. With agenda setting done by big media sources, they hold the power to tell consumers what they should pay attention to and what they should direct their attention and efforts to. 

Gender and Television/Movie Media

Most of the attention is brought to cisgender heterosexual white men, usually as main characters in television media and social media. Movies and shows today go through what is called a Bechdel Test, which looks at the movie and asks three questions: “(1) does the film feature two women (2) who talk to each other (3) about something other than a man?” (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p. 221). Despite movies like Moonlightand Hidden Figures being at the top of the box office sales and top of the awards charts, there is still a massive underrepresentation of women and minorities in these high paying, highlighted roles. When using the Bechdel Test on the Academy Awards nominees for Best Picture, 40% failed to pass for the 2019 nominations, 50% failed in 2016, and 70% failed in 2010 (Bechdel Test). While the number has gone down over the past decade, there is still major room for improvement. The rules of this test are simple, and yet the majority of films that are released today are not able to pass those three simple rules for interaction. That represents a problem in casting, in filming, and in appreciating women and minorities in these specific types of media. In 2015, only “30.2% of characters in top-grossing films who have names or speak are female, and less than 25% of leading characters are female” (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p. 221). There has been a slight increase over time, where with the top-grossing films in 2018, female casting made up 36% of characters in these movies (Women and Hollywood). While it is an increase, producers and casting directors are still more likely to choose a male protagonist over a female one. Movies and TV shows make up a large percentage of a consumer’s daily media intake, and with the continuous misrepresentation of women and minorities, it can lead to harmful effects of children as they grow up. 

Gender and News Media

Another problem comes in the form of news media. 75% of anchors on news outlets are male, and 66% of quotes used in newspapers and magazines are taken from men (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p. 221). With the domination of men in news media today, it is makes it more difficult for consumers to get differing perspectives on certain issues. Especially with the recent news coverage of the changing of abortion laws around the country, the lack of women having the ability to publicly comment on it leads to a skewed view of the issue and a severe hinderance on proper communication. For consumers to only hear a narrow opinion on a controversial and inherently opinionated topic can lead to a lack in gathering information and a lack of further communication and conversation that can lead to change later on. Women only make up one third of the sources for delivering information and opinions on women’s issues – such as birth control and abortion rights – which are topics that it would seem that women have more expertise and knowledge about over men (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p. 222). This lack of representation can be dangerous to children growing up who only see and hear about one view on a topic instead of multiple and diverse opinions that spark further conversation. Another area where there is a lack of representation is in guests on news channels. In 2015, 75% of guests that were brought on were male (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p. 223). This shows that majority of time men are the ones that are seen as being an expert in a certain field over women, even if that is not the case. 

Portrayal of Men and Women in Advertisements

The issue of how men and women are portrayed in advertisements is also detrimental to the misrepresentation of the genders. Advertisements have and continue to portray both genders in their stereotypical forms. Men are portrayed as “active adventurous, powerful, sexually aggressive, and largely uninvolved in human relationships” (Wood, 2007, p. 32), while women are portrayed as “being emotional, talking about and flirting with men, being sexual, and engaging in domestic activities” (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2017, p. 223). Film and TV shows consistently portray both men and women in these narrowly defined ways that are not always representative of the way that people actually act. Theses stereotypes show both children and adults the ways in which society deems as acceptable to act and to look, and hinder people’s ability to act in the ways that they want to act without judgement. While shows have made it more common to have tough female leaders, like in the show Criminal Minds, or more nurturing male leads, like in the movie The Pacifier, there is still a lack of this broad sense of “gender roles” that are being flipped. Even though there are strong women that are portrayed, they are usually hyper-feminine looking and very attractive. Men that play a more nurturing role also tend to be physically fit and heterosexual. Social media ads also portray men and women in stereotypically ways. Women are always shown to be skinny and generically “pretty”, and men are shown as being very physically fit, big, and tall. When consumers of social media view these types of images on a daily basis, there is more of a chance that they will develop some kind of body dysmorphia and be unhappy with the way that they look because it doesn’t resemble what they see in the ads.