The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies, 7 Volume Set

11

Gender-Role Socialization in the Twenty-First Century

Nancy Signorielli

ABSTRACT

Gender-role socialization has been a critical element in the study of mass communication since the late 1960s. This chapter will review our knowledge of this topic looking specifically at gender-role images on television, including broadcast programs and commercials, children's TV, and teen movies. The chapter focuses specifically on research conducted during the first decade of the twenty-first century examining images related to age, race, and occupation. A critical and key finding is that women continue to be underrepresented in most venues. The chapter also discusses the influence of these gender-role media images on people's conceptions about being men and women, particularly the continued relationship between viewing and expressing more stereotypical conceptions about gender roles.

Television and Gender

Gender-role socialization has been a critical element in the study of mass communication since the late 1960s. Most of the research and attention on the socialization of gender roles have focused on television as one of the most important agents of socialization in today's society. This chapter will focus specifically on television's gender roles, looking at what we know about these messages at the start of the second decade of the twenty-first century and what we know about how these messages and images may influence conceptions about being men and women.

As we progress in the twenty-first ...