Gender in Communications

Gender in Communications

• The presentation discusses gender within communications, including media, advertising, and news.
• Sandy Calleja Portelli, the presenter, has experience in industry, education, research, and activism.
• The presentation emphasizes the importance of understanding gender as a social construct, not just biological sex.

Defining Gender and Sex

• Sex refers to biological differences (internal/external sex organs, reproductive systems) that are consistent across time, place, and cultures.
• Gender is a societal construct, encompassing characteristics deemed masculine or feminine, and how these characteristics are assigned to individuals based on their sex. Gender can change over time and space.
• Gender roles are socially constructed behaviors, activities, and attributes considered appropriate for men and women in a particular society.
• Gender transgression is a taboo, though some transgressions are more socially accepted than others.

Sexual Orientation

• Sexuality, or sexual orientation, describes individuals' physical and emotional attraction to people of the same or opposite sex. This is interpersonal in nature.
• The term LGBTIQ+ is frequently used as shorthand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, or questioning, encompassing a diverse range of sexual and gender identities.
• Gender is often confused with sex because people often justify gender roles based on the sex of a child/person.

Gender in Media

• Media plays a vital role in shaping social practices and influencing individual behavior.
• Media images and messages shape our values and judgments of others and ourselves.
• Gender is a significant aspect of identity construction and representation in media culture. This can include stereotyping and marginalization.

Gender Inequality in Society

• Products, pharmaceuticals, and services are often designed for the perceived "standard" (men), neglecting the needs of half the population.
• Businesses with women in leadership tend to perform better.
• Families led by women face greater risks of poverty.

Stereotyping

• Stereotyping involves creating simplified mental images based on faulty generalizations instead of factual information.
• Stereotypes are shortcuts used to quickly describe complex phenomena through the exaggeration of a few traits.
• Common stereotypes include depictions of women as bad drivers or men who are bad at cleaning.

Gender Imbalance in Media

• Gender bias is evident in media representation and workforce distribution.
• Research indicates underrepresentation of women in senior and decision-making roles within media industries, including a gender pay gap. Studies suggest that while women represent almost half of directors in film schools, they make up less than a quarter of directors in the overall industry.
• Media portrayals of women are often limited to stereotypical roles (e.g., home-focused, sexualized, auxiliary).
• Women are often underrepresented in news programs, especially in roles dealing with crime, technology, science, and sports. In Europe, women comprise only 32% of TV program participants. They tend to be underrepresented in low status roles and are more likely to be under the age of 19 than over 50.

Advertising

• Advertising often objectifies women. Men are frequently used to speak for women, and women are often portrayed in stereotypical roles (e.g., young, skinny, and sexy versus old, frumpy, and fat but sensible), failing to capture the diversity of women's lives.

Vito Russo Test

• The film must have an identifiable lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender character.
• The character's identity must not solely define them.
• The character's role and impact on the plot should be significant.

Media Representation of LGBTQ Populations

• Data on representation of LGBTQ+ characters in films indicates a decrease from previous years.
• Data show LGBTQ+ characters are underrepresented from years 2006-2016, in specific, a 27.3% decrease.

Bechdel Wallace Test

• The test evaluates the portrayal of women in media (a film must feature two named women who talk to each other about something besides a man).

News Coverage

• Most news coverage of politicians prioritizes personality traits (e.g., style, looks) over policy.
• Women politicians are disproportionately scrutinized on family status.
• Media representations tend to limit women to "soft" issues portfolios, while implicitly indicating that women aren't as capable of handling other types of issues.

General Influence of Media on Voters

• Media coverage can shape voters’ opinions and influence voting decisions, at times accentuating gender-based stereotypes.
• Women politicians are sometimes portrayed on “soft” issues, creating a perception of unsuitability for more challenging roles.

Portfolios Held by Women Ministers

• Data illustrates that women hold diverse portfolios, including roles in various ministerial sectors.