About Gender. Notice: You can find the original article here
No one would deny that the mass media is big business. According to the American Motion Picture Association, Hollywood films alone pulled in $9 billion in 2001, and that doesn't include the renting and selling of videos and DVDs. However, media executives argue that the economics of the industry make it impossible to avoid stereotypes of women.
Chasing the Young Male Demographic
Many commentators argue that media content is driven by advertising. All advertisers are chasing the elusive 18- to 34-year-old male market. Little wonder that the starring role in two-thirds of TV situation comedies is played by a young man.
Not only are there fewer women in starring roles, San Diego State University communications professor Martha Lauzen reports that shows focusing on a female character tend to be scheduled in "lousy" time slots. Lauzen's annual study of television content indicates that the higher the number of female creators and actors working on a show, the more likely the program will be "moved around and surrounded by programs not getting high ratings or shares."
Advertisers claim they can be far less aggressive about chasing female viewers because women are less picky about what they watch. Writer Paul Krumins interviewed Industry professionals and reports that they say "women will pretty much do anything to get to snuggle with their boyfriend or husband." Advertisers, he says, want the networks to cater to men because they feel they get the women for free. Writer Nancy Hass concurs: "Women ... tend to let men control the remote. NFL viewership, for example, is 40 per cent female, though women rarely watch football alone."
The Syndication Market
Advertisers' lack of interest in women is complicated by the fact that shows with women in leading roles don't perform as well in syndication as shows starring male actors. Since networks make most of their money on re-runs, prime-time programming tends to be "male-skewed." In addition, as Nancy Hass argues, "shows that don't focus on men have to feature the sort of women that guys might watch."
The Movie Market
Movie studios use the same economic arguments to explain the abundance of female stereotypes on the big screen. Movies featuring sex and violence are big international sellers. Why? Sex and action films do not rely on clever, intricate, culture-based scripts or convincing acting. Sex and action films therefore "translate" easily across cultures. Since at least 60 per cent of the movie industry's profits come from the international market, studios continue to pump out the same old stereotypes.
Screenwriter Robin Swicord says, "It is very hard to get movies made that are genuinely feminist, or even portray women in a fair way. I genuinely believe there is a big domestic audience for this kind of movie, but if there is only a domestic audience, it won't get made."
Director Jan Wahl agrees. "Overseas audiences still want sex and violence. That's what sells outside the U.S. The whole world may have to change before the picture for women in Hollywood gets brighter."
