If you’ve picked up a magazine recently or sat through a commercial on TV, chances are you have noticed some pretty glaring differences in the way men and women are depicted in various forms of media. The subliminal messages that are sent through media outlets cross our paths everyday and subconsciously shape our views to become more limited and stereotypical. According to an article from New York University, the three main problems with the portrayal of gender in media are the underrepresentation of women, the use of images that enhance stereotypical views, and the reinforcement of traditional gender roles as normal. Typical advertisements tend to display “ideal” women as paper-thin and perpetually youthful, while outlets such as TV and film often place women in the role of a housewife completely dependent on a man. These recurring themes discreetly send harmful messages to women and girls that they must look a certain way to be considered pretty and cannot function independently.
In addition to TV shows and movies that underrepresented strong, independent women, the news industry has a bad reputation for keeping women off the air. Research from a 2015 study conducted by the Women’s Media Center revealed that women are on-camera for only 32% of the time during evening broadcast news, while only 37% of stories are reported by women in print news. In order to achieve more equality within media, we must allow more women to be in charge of delivering our stories. As Julie Burton, President of the Women’s Media Center, says “Who tells the story is every bit as important as what the story is.”
Thankfully, with a recent resurgence of feminism and female empowerment there has been an emergence of more female directors, news anchors, stronger female characters in film and TV, and the introduction of women with all body types into advertising and modeling. While some progress has been made, there is still much more to be done in order to ensure gender equality in media. This includes equal pay for all women who are still receiving less than their male counterparts, more representation for women of color, and a greater LGBT+ presence on-screen.