“A STUDY ON ROLE OF MEDIA IN SHAPING STEREOTYPICAL AND

PATRIARCHAL ATTITUDES AMONG MALE POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS”

BY

Ms. Monisha.l

Register No. 09PG24526

Dissertation submitted to the Department of Social Work, Christ University,

Bangalore in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

Under the Guidance of

Dr.Bino Thomas

Department of Social Work,

Christ University,

Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560029

February 2011

1
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ms Monisha L, student of the Department of Social

Work, Christ University, has successfully completed his dissertation titled,

“A STUDY ON ROLE OF MEDIA IN SHAPING STEREOTYPICAL AND

PATRIARCHAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN AMONG MALE

POST GRADUATE STUDENTS”

The study is a genuine research work carried out in the partial fulfilment of

the requirements of the award of the Master’s Degree in Social Work.

Fr. Saji. T. J. Dr. Bino Thomas

Coordinator, Faculty Guide,

Department of Social Work, Department of Social Work

Christ University, Christ University,

Bangalore. Bangalore.

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 Acknowledgement

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Fr.Saji.T.J.C.P, Co-ordinator of

the Department of Social Work for his support and constant guidance. I am also

grateful to other faculty members for providing valuable suggestions and

comments in different stages of the completion of my study.

I take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to my dissertation guide

Dr.Bino Thomas, Asst. Professor, Department of Social Work in Christ University

for his guidance through the project study.

I would like to thank all my respondents for making this research possible.

Further I am grateful to my parents, friends, and well wishers who have directly or

indirectly been responsible for supporting me in this endeavour.

Place:

Date: Signature of the Student

3
 Content

I INTRODUCTION......................................................................... 7

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE........................................................ 17

III RESEARCH METHDOLOGY..................................................... 25

IV ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION...................................... 32

V FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION.................................................45

APPENDIX–A....BIBLIOGRAPY.................................................51

APPENDIX–B ....QUESTIONNAIRE........................................... 55

LIST OF TABLES

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 TABLE PAGE
DESCRIPTION
NO. NO.

1 Age of the Respondents 33

2 Institution of Respondents 34

3 Questions Relating to Equality 35

4 Questions relating to Interests 36

5 Questions relating to Expectations and Responsiblities 37

6 Questions Relating to Appearance 37

7 Questions Relating to Sex role typing 38

8 Age Vs Questions Relating to Equality 39

9 Age Vs Questions relating to Interests 40

Age Vs Questions relating to Expectations and

10 40
Responsiblities

11 Age Vs Questions Relating to Apperance 41

12 Age Vs Questions Relating to Sex role typing 41

13 Instutions Vs Questions Relating to Equality 42

14 Institutions Vs Questions relating to Interests 42

Institutions Vs Questions relating to Expectations and

15 43
Responsiblities

16 Institutions Vs Questions Relating to Appearance 43

17 Institutions Vs Questions Relating to Sex role Typing 44

LIST OF GRAPHS

Graph DESCRIPTION PAGE

NO. NO.

5
1 Graphical representation of religion of repondents 33

2 Graphpical representation of Institutions of respondents 34

3 Graphical representation of Questions relating to

41
Appearance

4 Questions Relating to Sex Role Typing 41

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
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 Introduction

General Understanding of ‘woman’:

The general understanding of the term ‘woman’ among men in

today’s world is affected by various factors and has numerous connotations .It is well

know that societies distinguish men and women and assign them social roles. As

soon as a child is born families and society begin the process of gendering. The birth

of the son is celebrated, the birth of a daughter is filled with pain; sons are showered

with love, respect, better food and proper health care. Boys are encouraged to be

tough and outgoing girls are encouraged to be homebound and shy.

Stereotypical and patriarchal beliefs:

All these differences are gender are grounded in stereotypical and patriarchal

thoughts. Gender stereotypes are shared asymmetrical beliefs .Stereotypes are beliefs

about the attributes that characterize a group of people (Ashmore & Del Boca, 1981).

Stereotypes can be personal or consensual (Ashmore & Del Boca, 1981; Devine &

Elliot, 1995). Personal stereotypes are one person's beliefs about the attributes that

characterize a group of people. Consensual stereotypes are shared beliefs about the

attributes that characterize a group of people .Most commonly women are stereotyped

with being motherly, affectionate, self sacrificing, nurturing ,emotional ,dependent.

Defining gender roles, Parsons(1965)acknowledged that feminine role is strictly

defined within the family role while the masculine role is more complex and diffuse

because it is both related to family and life outside the family. Such stereotyping that

shows great favourability to masculine trait and s has resulted in demining women

.The study of stereotypes is important because according to Tajfel (1981), “Social

stereotypes must be analyzed as they are ideologies that shape actions and

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relationships.”It is evident that feminine stereotypes play a salient role in social

perception. Though the authenticity of these notions are questioned very much today

one dominant concept remains… A WOMAN IS SUBORDINATE TO MAN.

However hard the twenty first century feminists strive to patriarchal thoughts , it is

still rampant. Patriarchy is best defined as control by men. The origins of patriarchy

can be traced through different stages of civilisation and, several views have been

expressed regarding the origins of patriarchy and its universality. Its roots have been

traced in history, religion and in nature. For some, patriarchy as a system has

a beginning in history, is man made and thus can be ended by historical processes in

the future. For others, patriarchy is a natural phenomenon, i.e., it is based on

biological differentiation of human beings into male and female categories. It is

understood that, patriarchy is universal, God-given, natural and cannot be questioned.

Media and it’s role in today’s world:

In the present scenario gender sensitive individuals are trying to eradicate

such thoughts but they creep in somehow in one form or the other. There are

several determinants. The media is definitely one of them .The media creates and

reinforces attitudes about women by presenting women differently through

different perspectives.

In today’s world, media has made a very special place for itself in our lives.

If I say that today, media has become as important as food and clothing, then I don

t think so that I am over exaggerating anything. There is no denial that media is

playing a very significant role in making the world smaller. Through various

mediums of media whether it is radio, television, newspaper or internet, we are

able to connect with large number of people around us. Especially internet has

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truly become the need of every individual both for our work and to connect with

our friends and well wishers. Facebook, Orkut and Twitter have occupied such

special place in our lives that if we are not a part of it, then there is something

really important that we are missing. Media has a huge responsibility of conveying

the truth and relevant information to the common man. The media is not just

confined to informing us about the world happenings and serving a means to

connect with people, in fact it also affects out thinking patterns as well

The mass media is one of the most powerful conveyors of socio cultural

ideals. The causal role played by the media has been demonstrated and assessed by

several studies. Media has long followed the strategy of supporting dominant

views. Most media content encourage conventional and exploitative, gender

images.

Portrayal Of Women in the Media:

It is well researched that media favours traditional gender stereotypes. As

long ago as 1963, Betty Friedan attacked American businessmen and their

exploitation of women through advertising in her seminal feminist work, The

Feminine Mystique: “It is their millions which blanket the land with persuasive

images, flattering the American housewife, diverting her guilt and disguising her

growing emptiness. They have done this so successfully, employing the

techniques and concepts of modern social science, and transposing them into those

deceptively simple, clever, outrageous ads and commercials, that an observer of

the American scene today accepts as fact that the great majority of American

women have no ambition other than to be housewives. If they are not responsible

for sending women home, they are surely responsible for keeping them there.” (pp.

218-219)
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 Betty Friedan's comments of 1963 are still valid. Even today, women are

shown as playing a secondary and passive role in various programmes, episodes

and films. They are depicted as mothers, housewives, sisters, sister-in-law, etc.,

always serving and caring for the other members of the family or community.

Portrayal of Women in electronic media

In Televisions

Disparity in the actual living conditions of women and those presented over

the medium of television is perplexing and disquieting at the very least.

Krishnanand Dighe (1990), analyzed the plots of fictional programmes and

telecasts during a sample period where the analysis had show that the "ideal

woman" was caring, concerned, supportive, helped her husband achieve his goals

and did not have any ambitions of her own. She was sacrificing, unquestioning,

submissive ,pretty, charming, and devoted to the husband.

A deviant behavior by women on the other hand, was one disagreeing her

husband ,not remain at home to look after the family's comforts, having personal

ambitions, not understanding, accommodating, etc. Or the woman they exhibited

interests in going to parties and clubs, gossiping with other women and flirting

.The children of such women are addicted to alcohol or drugs and their husbands

are deprived of peace.

The ideal women won everybody's approval, whereas the deviant women

became outcasts. They were reformed by being taught proper lessons by the

husbands who beat them into shape, or even sometimes by children. Men, Women

who were deviant, were punished by the outside world. Thus, fiction programmes

very clearly demarcate the spheres for women and men, constantly propagating

that a woman's world is restricted to her home.

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Portrayal of Women in Advertisements:

Commercials often depict women using products such as soap and

shampoo to enhance' their personal appeal so as to be rewarded with male

approval. The male concept of an ideal woman as one who is young, fair, slim and

beautiful, is propagated through commercials.

A market for these products is cultivated by encashing on the anxieties and

insecurities of young women.

As viewers of such advertisements, we are constantly trained to identify

with the "male gaze" and internalize the male-view of women. Various techniques

like camera -angles, special lighting, composition, framing and music are used to

produce the effect of a coherent and complete world where the "real woman" is

created for us.

Portrayal of women in print media:

There have been several studies of print media with regard to women which

have found the print media guilty of sexism, distortion of image of women and

propagation of sex stereotypes: mothers, housewives, dependant, passive, etc. The

other side of such misinterpretation is that in most popular print media women are

seldom shown as working women- capable professionals, labourers, farmers.

Rather the predominant image is that of the self-sacrificing housewife. If a woman

wins a beauty contest, magazines or newspapers in particular give much

importance to the news and even take her photographs on cover page but, at the

same time if a woman gets the Nobel Prize she gets limited coverage.

Similarly the daily newspapers rarely put women's news and their development.

Rather they prefer reporting on rape, atrocities, crime, sexual harassment and abuse

11
of women prominently in their columns. Besides Sunday and Saturday special

glossy editions on women's leisure, fashion, beauty and other luxurious news items

with erotic photographs are issued from time to time by daily newspapers .

Influence of Media:

By presenting the real woman who is inscribed by culture, tortured by war,

showcased by religion, bound by traditions and bonded within families , media has

constantly moulded over the years our understanding of THE WOMAN. It is

evident that the media does not serve to give a balanced and realistic view of

women. It's no secret that men compare women in their lives to the female images

they see portrayed on televisions, films, and advertisements. At both the conscious

and subconscious level, these media images of women definitely exert an influence

on men and affect behavior towards women at every age and stage of life. This

results in an irrational pressure on women to conform to patriarchal constructions.

The study will focus on the same.

It is unlikely that all young men are affected by idealized images to the

same degree. Some researchers have found strong positive correlations between the

frequency with which men view patriarchal and stereotypical ideas and the desire

or expectations in men to expect their close ones to confirm to similar norms.(e.g.,

Field et al., 1999; Utter, Neumark-Sztainer, Wall, & Story, 2003)

Culturally, men are celebrated and glorified by the media for what they can

achieve and conquer .The majority of the time men are influenced by these

representations. Girls are presented in traditional roles such as playing house and

cooking. Girls are also shown playing with dolls and being concerned with being

popular and beautiful. Girls are also portrayed as being cooperative and more

passive and less aggressive and competitive than boys. Boys on the other hand are

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shown seeking power, speed and physical action. Aggressive behaviour is

almost exclusively limited to targeting boys. Boys are also shown as being more

independent than girls.

Though at the surface level it may seem that today’s men laugh at the

crudeness with which the movies present women with these stereotypes, there is no

doubt these women are a very powerful influence on everybody even today. To

be as pure as Sita, as loyal as Draupadi, as beautiful as Lakshmi, as bountiful a

provider as Annapoorna, as dogged in devotion as Savitri, as strong as Durga -

these are all the ultimate role models the society cannot dismiss.

Such behaviors are observed and internalized from television by male

viewers and has considerable influence in shaping their own gender role concepts

(Kolbe & Muehling, 1995; Smith, 1994). Expectations of sex roles and self-

labeling as the more powerful one influences many aspects of a man’s life from

social interaction to occupational plans, and even to cognitive .

Media has the potential to reinforce conventional sex-role definitions,

meaning that viewers may come to believe life is supposed to be like it is portrayed

in media (Ivy & Backlund, 1994,p.116). Media may also has the capacity to

influence how viewers/readers develop an identity for themselves, relative to their

own sex and gender, and how they come to expect certain behavior from men and

women (Macklin & Kolbe, 1984).

Conclusion:

The traits discussed can be summed up as:

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 ‘Male’ Gender Traits ‘Female’ Gender Traits

Independent Dependent

Rational Irrational

Rough Gentle

Nasty Nice

Brave Cowardly

Insensitive Sensitive

Aggressive Placid

Competitive Co-operative

Physical Emotional

Disobedient Obedient

Active Passive

Unhappy Happy

Assertive Unassertive

Confident Unconfident

Women who reject the roles of chaste, obedient wives and daughters cause

anxiety because they blur gender divisions and are seen to pose a threat to the

potency and culture of the nation. It is clear that sexist and stereotypical advert

portrayals have severe negative impact and Current theories present a more

complex interaction between the media and society. St. Lawrence and Joyner

(1991, p. 49) comment that the “negative attitudes and behavioral biases

toward women” are among the many un- desirable social consequences created by

media images.”The media generate information as a network then publish

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information using articles, videos, and photos to a group of consumers, in turn

influencing individual interpretations of the information provided while potentially

influencing unrelated cultural and personal beliefs, as per the propaganda model.

This study will examine the role media plays in shaping stereotypical and

patriarchal attitudes towards women amongst male college students.

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 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Introduction:

The review of literature is not mere reading sake; it is focused and directed

towards specific purposes. It is also selective. Since the study is exploratory in

nature, the researcher could not identify many identical studies. So, the researcher

chose relevant and studies .The following studies examine the role of media and

the influence it generates on individuals and society at large at various levels.

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Relating to media violence against women:

Penny Reid and Gillian Finchilesce, The disempowering effects of media violence

against women on women ,November 1994.

This study investigated the disempowering effect of exposure to media

violence against women on female students. Two hundred and four second-year

female university students participated in this study . Fifty-six items were

constructed, based on the 14 variables highlighted by the empowerment

literature.Participants completed the 56-item questionnaire, indicating their

agree-ment or disagreement with each item on a 7-point Likert scale.

The results were Continuous media exposure reinforced and encouraged

practices such as wife battering and sexual harassment in real life .It also triggered

aggressive tendencies against women and taught techniques of violence. It was

proved that such media portrayal fostered feelings of powerlessness amongst

women and Desensitized viewers.

Relating to Body Image and appearance:

Fiona Monro,Media-Portrayed Idealized Images, Body Shame ,and Appearance

Anxiety,2005.

This study was designed to determine the effects of media-portrayed

idealized images on young women’s body shame and appearance anxiety,and to

establish whether the effects depend on advertisement type. Participants were 39

female University students. Twenty-four magazine advertisements comprised

12body-related and 12 non–body-related products, one half of each with, and the

17
other one half without, idealized images. Pre exposure and post exposure body

shame and appearance anxiety measures were recorded.

The study proved that Appearance anxiety increased after viewing

advertisements featuring idealized images. There was also a significant

interaction between self objectification level and idealized body(presence vs.

absence). No differences emerged for body-related compared with non–body-

related product advertisements. The only result for body shame was a main effect

for time. Participants ’body shame increased after exposure to idealized images,

irrespective of advertisement type.

The Restraint Questionnaire (RQ; Herman & Polivy, 1975) was used to

assess the extent to which participants are attitudinally and behaviourally

concerned with their weight and dieting. The 12-item Social Physique/Appearance

Anxiety Scale (SPAS; Hart, Leary & Rejeski, 1989), which assesses how anxious

participants feel when their bodies are observed or evaluated by others, was used to

measure appearance anxiety in this experiment .Objectified Body Consciousness

Scale (BS-OBCS; McKinley & Hyde, 1996) indicates how ashamed participants

are of their body, and the extent to which participants have internalized the cultural

thin ideal .

Relating to stereotypical portrayal:

Kelly A. Malcolmson and Lisa Sinclair, The Ms.Stereotype revisited :Implicit and

Explicit Facets, Psychology of women quarterly,2007.

This study examined the domain of the Ms. stereo- type by using the

Extended Personal Attributes Questionnaire (EPAQ). The EPAQ contains both

positive and negative scale .The positive scale included the ‘so’ called desirable
18
traits while the negative scale was used to study the opposite. Respondents were

230 people from Toronto’s Ontario Science Centre. Exploratory research design

was used in the study and questionnaires were used to collect the needed

information. Ninety-three percent of the respondents associated only the ‘so’ called

positive attributes to the term ‘Ms’ .The results added to the evidence that women

suffer from stereotypes.

Relating to Nature of abilities:

Gail D. Heyman,* Bryn Martyna, and Sangeeta Bhatia,Gender And Achievement-

Related Beliefs among Engineering Students

Participants were 238 undergraduates enrolled at the University of

California, San Diego. Participants were recruited with the assistance of faculty

members across a range of disciplines. A questionnaire was used to examine

students perceptions of possible gender differences in how engineering students are

treated. One measure asked students whether they believed that male and female

students in their major were treated differently. The second measure asked students

to rate their levels of agreement with the statement “The climate women face in

engineering is no different from the climate faced by men.” Participants rated their

agreement on a forced-choice scale ranging from 1(strongly agree) to 6 (strongly

disagree).The results indicated that among engineering students, over half of the

women perceived differential treatment of men and women, as compared to just

over a quarter of the men. The researcher says “many women made comments

indicating that they were treated negatively by men, such as “[male students] tend

to be condescending, others treat you like you don’t know anything” and

“sometimes we are not believed, looked down upon, seen as ‘little girls.’” One

19
female engineering student made a reference to “subtle intimidation by [male]

students.”

Relating to Restricting carrier choices

Mary Ann And Gerald.R.Adams. Implications of Sex Typed Child Rearing

Practices, Toys, and Mass Media Materials in Restricting Occupational Choices of

Women,1979.

According to the above study, Developmental research indicates children

are aware of their appropriate sex role- behavior relatively early in their life. The

study reviews child rearing practices, toy materials, mass media literature and TV

pro-Programming and indicates the presence of gender stereotyping. Using these

data, and argument is presented in the study that suggests gender stereotyping may

limit females' occupational choice and aspirations .The researcher says Differential

Childrearing Practices Internalize irrational beliefs on their capacities. Sex

Stereotyped Media Material and Programs telecast Men in occupations of power,

prestige, technology, and authority. Women, however, are presented in

occupational roles reflecting an extension of the maternal role, which is usually

viewed as unskilled and low paying. Gender specific toys may socialize children

into stereotypic vocational choices. “Toys may be viewed as offering

experimentation with future roles and present an opportunity to rehearse a future

occupational opportunity on the child's level “The research literature thus argues

gender specific socialization practices channel boys and girls into specific

occupational directions

Relating to portrayal in television:

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Ingham,Helen,The Portrayal of Women on Television,2000.

In this article the author talks about television as a widely known means to

represent and reinforce the mainstream ideology of contemporary western culture:

patriarchy. Helen Ingham says that Some of the most watched, and perhaps

influential genres of television viewing are advertisements and soap operas.

Talking about advertisements the author quotes a study by Paul Trowler

(1997)“women were seven times more likely to appear in personal hygiene product

adverts than to not appear; 75% of all adverts using females were for products used

in the bathroom or kitchen, 56% of women in adverts were shown as domestic

housewives and only eighteen different occupations were shown for women, in

comparison to forty three for men”

Are women offended by the way they are portrayed in advertising?, Sonia

Dickinson and Donna Gill,

The messages reflected in advertising are evaluated from the perspective of

an individual’s moral philosophy or ethical judgement (Arthur & Queser

2003).The study states that Individuals experience different levels of affect (in this

case, offence) as a consequence of exposure to various stimuli in their

environment. Subsequently, this creates a broad range of individual behaviours and

cognitions.

Thus demining portrayal of women will have a negative influence on them

and affect them at various levels.

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C.Pichandy,Relating to communication and social influence,1988.

The study was conducted in Tamil Nadu and analysed the effects of media

on attitude, behavior, and social change. He found that people gave a lot of

importance to the information received through the media and suggested that there

is a need for a comprehensive programme in regional languages in accordance with

local needs ,local specifies and aim to do justice to communication as a medium

for development.

Conclusion:

These studies make it evident that the media is playing a crucial role in

disempowering women and is portraying demining images which is affecting our

society. However, the studies fail to look at the influence such portrayals can have

on men. Impact on Men has to be understood as they have a huge role to play in

the status women enjoy in our society.

The researcher thinks her study is necessary to look at this area which

remains unexamined. The researcher hopes her findings will trigger similar

researches in this unexplored area.

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CHAPTER 3

23
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A research is a process through which we attempt to achieve systematically

and with the support of data the answer to a question, the resolution of a problem,

or a greater understanding of a phenomenon.

The core concept underlying all research is its methodology. It is not

enough to follow the research procedures without an intimate understanding that

research methodology directs the whole endeavour – where critical decisions are

made and where organising, planning and directing the whole project takes place.

The methodology controls the study dictates the acquisition of the data and

arranges them in logical relationships, sets up a means of refining the raw data

contrives an approach so that the meanings the lie below the surface of those data

24
manifest and finally issues a conclusion or a series of conclusions that lead to an

expansion of knowledge.

Title of the study:

Role of media in shaping stereotypical and patriarchal attitudes towards

women amongst male post graduate students.

Objectives of the study:

The objective refers to the questions to be answered through the study. They

indicate what we are trying to get from the study. The study has attempted to

examine the following issues:

1. To study the influence media generates on men in shaping attitudes towards

women

2. To study the role of media in disempowering women

3. To investigate the issue of gender equality in media

Definitions of terms:

Patriarchy is an andocentric social system in which the role of the male

as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers

hold authority over women, children, and property

A stereotype is a commonly held popular belief about specific social

groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" is very close to

prejudice

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 In general media refers to the various forms of communication.

An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like

or dislike for an item

Research Design:

Research Design is a conceptual framework within which the research is

conducted. It constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis

of data. The study is an exploratory study. The study will look at the role of media

is playing in influencing and perpetuating the social problem of stereotyping and

patriarchy among male students. Exploratory design is suitable for this study as the

study only aims to gain insights on the issue and no such exact study has been

carried out in the same topic selected by the researcher, especially among men.

Universe:

A total of 100 registered male post graduate students of Social work were

chosen.20 students were chosen from Christ university, Bangalore University,

Madras school of Social work and Loyola school of Social Work.

The department of social work , Christ University aims at moulding

students into professional social workers with highest professional values as well

as skills. The course design has a balanced blend of class room teaching with field

experience. The department works in close alignment with the Centre for Social

Action to sensitize students towards issues of social concern. At Madras school of

26
Social Work, The department came into existence in 1963. The objective of this

course is to prepare candidates for a career in social work through a professional

training programme. The course is a two-year full time programme covering four

semesters. The foundation course comprises theory in social work, research

methodology and applications that support the understanding of core courses.

Loyola College was founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1925 with the

primary objective of providing University Education in a Christian atmosphere for

deserving Students, especially those belonging to the Catholic Community. The

social Work programme aims at training young men and women of quality to be

leaders in all walks of life, who will play a vital role in bringing about the desired

changes for the betterment of the people of our country, more particularly of the

poor and marginalized sections of society. Bangalore University is one of the

oldest in India, dating back to 1886. The university is a part of The Association of

Indian Universities (AIU)and nears the status of "Potential for Excellence" which

is reserved for the top 10 universities in India under the Guidelines of

the University Grants Commission(UGC).

Sampling Method:

The researcher used probability sampling to choose her samples. The

researcher picked students of Social Work as the researcher felt they would be

suitable for the study.

Sample Group:

The sample group was 100 male post-graduate students of social Work.

Criteria for inclusion and exclusion:

27
Inclusion Criteria:

Only male post graduate Social Work students have been included in the

sample as the results can indicate the impact amongst men of this particular age

group and can be generalized amongst them.

The study will need only male samples as the focus of study is to see the impact

media generates on men

Post graduate students of social Work were chosen as they will be easy to

access and have greater exposure to media.

Exclusion criteria:

Older Men are not included in the study as it might be difficult to get responses

from to them due to their conservative nature

Pre testing:

It is a process of an advancement of the study design after the questionnaire has

been prepared.

The researcher conducted pre test on 10 respondents. This was very helpful and led

to modification of the questionnaire . Few questions were added, a few deleted

and a few edited.

Tools of data collection:

The primary tool of data collection was a self-structured questionnaire with

close ended questions. The secondary tools were research articles, journals and

books related to the area of study by the researcher

28
Processing and Analysis of data:

After collection of data it has been processed and analysed in accordance

with the outline laid for the purpose at the time of developing the research plan.

The information collected has been analysed using Frequency , Tabulation

Cross Tabulation, Quartile deviation and Mean .The information is

presented in simple tables and cross tables with the researcher’s own

accompanying interpretations. This is further supported by charts wherever

necessary.

Limitations of the Study:

1. The study was confined only to 100 male post graduate students and

therefore cannot be generated to the entire male student community

2. The responses given by some of the respondents may be biased.

This might due to male chauvinism or to paint a favourable picture

in the eyes of the researcher.

Ethical Considerations:

The following were some of the ethical aspects which were considered in this

research:

1) The participants gave consent for the study and only then included in

the study. This was carried out by providing the informed consent form

to each participant enabling them to sign before filling out the

questionnaire.

29
2) Respondents were free to voluntarily withdraw from the study at any

point of time if they wanted to.

3) Researcher used the data only for research purpose.

30
 CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION

DATA INTREPRETATION AND ANALYSIS

Table 1: Age of the Respondents

Sl. No.
Age Frequency Percentage
1.
21 – 23 41 45
2.
24–26 39 39
3.
27– 29 16 16

31
 TOTAL 100

The above table Shows the age that out of the 45 respondents

Table No. 2: Religion Of Respondents

Sl. No.
Religion Frequency Percentage
1.
Christianity 75 75
2.
Hindhuism 22 22
3.
Islam 3 3
4.
Others 0 0

Total 100

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Graph 1: Graphical Representation of the Religion of Respondents

Table No. 3 Institution Of the respondents

Sl. No Frequencies Percentage

1.Loyola college 25 25
2.Madras School Of Social Work 25 25
3.Bangalore University 25 25
4.Christ University 25 25
TOTAL 100

Graph2:Graphical representation of Institutions

33
The results have been grouped by the researcher based on the domains

Questions relating to Equality:

Table No:4-Questions relating to equality

Cumulative
Scores
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
20-51 4 4.0 4.0 4.0
51-80 96 96.0 96.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0

The above table shows that only 4% of the respondents believe that the

media is fostering attitudes of superiority on them.96% of the respondents feel that

the media does not influence them in shaping inferior attitude towards women

.This may be because of the emerging roles in media of women at different

positions. Women are telecasted to be bread winners and active contributors of the

society in the new media(Karl,2004).This also shows the media is accommodating

the changing role of women

34
Table 4: Questions Relating to Interests

Scores Percent

4-6 100.0

Questions relating to interests confined the interest of a women to a

particular traditional group such as aesthetics and stated that women who deviated

from this group are not ‘lady-like’. All the respondents believe that a women’s

interest should be inclined to aesthetics and the media plays a huge role in

influencing this belief. These results also tell that that the respondents might have

been biased in answering the questions in the first domain as it ill explicitly reveal

their patriarchal attitudes. Paul Trowler sites a study of women in advertisements,

which found that women were seven times more likely to appear in personal

hygiene product adverts than to not appear; 75% of all adverts using females were

for products used in the bathroom or kitchen products .

Table 5: Questions Relating to Expectations and responsibilities

35
 Scores
Percent
Valid 44-68 100.0

All the respondents hold stereotypical and patriarchal expectations portrayed in the

media. They also want a traditional set of responsibilities constantly showcased

(like nursing, caring, cleaning etc) to be fulfilled by their partners or siblings.

Questions relating to appearance

Table:No:6- Questions relating to appearance

Cumulative
Scores
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
3-8 16 16.0 16.0 16.0
9-12 83 83.0 83.0 96.0
11.00 1 1.0 1.0 100.0

Graph No:4-Graphical Representation Of questions relating to appearance

36
Only,16% of the respondents agreed that the media is influencing them and they

expect their siblings and partners to be like the ideal women shown in television.

The media imposes unrealistic beauty standards on women .Many researches

indicate that several men are dissatisfied with the appearance of women in their

lives due to media influence but the same has been disproved by these results

Table: 7-Questions Relating to Sex Role Typing:

Scores Percent
13-33 99.0
34-65 1.0
Total 100.0

Graph No:5-Questions Relating to Sex Role Typing

37
 Questions in this domain covered a range of common stereotypical

assumptions.99% of the respondents said that they believe in these prejudices

because of media influence. From the responses, it can be understood that the

media serves to promote a polarization of gender roles. [With femininity are

associated traits such as emotionality, prudence, co-operation, a communal sense,

and compliance. Masculinity tends to be associated with such traits as rationality,

efficiency, competition, individualism and ruthlessness.

Results based on age and domains:

Table No:8-Age Vs Beliefs related to Equality

Age
Scores 21-23 24-26 26-29 4.00 Total
20-51 2 2 0 0 4
51-80 39 37 16 4 96
Total 41 39 16 4 100

The above table shows the age wise responses in the domain of equality .The

results show that men between the age group 26-29 are influenced with superiority

attitudes by the media.

38
 Table No:9-Age Vs Beliefs related to interests
Age
Scores 21-23 24-26 26-29 4.00 Total
4-6 41 39 16 4 100
Total 41 39 16 4 100

The above table shows that men between the age group of 24-26 are more

influenced by the media in forming assumptions about interests of women.

TableNo:10-Age Vs Beliefs related to expectations and Responsibilities

Age
Scores 21-23 24-26 26-19 4.00 Total
44-68 41 39 16 4 100
Total 41 39 16 4 100

The above table shows that men in the age group of 21-23 are

more influenced by the media in in holding stereotypical and

patriarchal set of expectations and responsibilities.

Table No:11- Age vs Beliefs Related to Appearance

Age
Scores 21-23 24-26 26-19 4.00 Total
3-8 9 3 2 2 16
9-12 31 36 14 2 83
11.00 1 0 0 0 1
41 39 16 4 100

Out of 16 respondents who influenced were by the media with

regard to appearance related expectations from women 9 belong to the

age group of 21-23.

39
Table No:12-Age Vs Beliefs relating to sex role typing

Age
Scores 21-23 24-26 26-19 4.00 Total
13-33 40 39 16 4 99
34-65 1 0 0 0 1
41 39 16 4 100

Out of 99 respondents who believe and expect stereotypical

behavior from women due to media influence 40 belonged to the age

group 0f 21-23 and 39 to the age group of 24-26.

Results of Across institutions domain wise

Table No:13-Instutions Vs beliefs relating to equality

Institution
Madras school Bangalore
Scores
Loyola college of social work university Christ University Total
20-51 1 1 0 2 4
51-80 24 24 25 23 96
Total 25 25 25 25 100

The table shows that students of all colleges on an equal proportion

disagree that the media generates feelings of superiority on them

Table No:14-Institutions Vs beliefs related to interests

Institution
Madras school Bangalore
Scores
Loyola college of social work university Christ University Total
4-6 25 25 25 25 100
Total 25 25 25 25 100

40
The table shows that all respondents from all colleges believe that the

media is generating an influence on them with regard to beliefs

centring the interests of women. It can also be understood that there is

no difference in the opinion of students across two different cities.

Table No: 15-Institutions Vs beliefs relating to expectations and

responsibilities

Institution
Madras school Bangalore
Scores
Loyola college of social work university Christ University Total
44-68 25 25 25 25 100
Total 25 25 25 25 100

The table shows that all respondents from all colleges believe that the

media is generating an influence on them with regard to beliefs

centering expectations and responsibilities

TableNo:16 Institutions Vs media influence related to beliefs about appearance

Institution
Madras school Bangalore
Scores
Loyola college of social work university Christ University Total
3-8 6 6 3 1 16
9-12 19 19 22 23 83
11.00 0 0 0 1 1
Total 25 25 25 25 100

The above table shows that students of Christ University are least

affected by the media in holding appearance related assumptions .It

can be understood that appearance related expectations are higher

among students from Chennai compared to Bangalore.

41
Table No:17-Institutions Vs Media Influence with regard to Sex-

role typing

Institution
Madras school Bangalore Christ
Scores
Loyola college of social work university University Total
13-33 25 25 25 24 99
34-65 0 0 0 1 1
Total 25 25 25 25 100

The above table shows there is no significant difference across

institutions on the influence generated by the media in shaping

stereotypical believes.

42
 CHAPTER 5

FINDINGS, SUGGESTION

AND

CONCLUSION

43
Findings:

• Only 4% of the respondents believe that the media is fostering attitudes of

superiority on them.96% of the respondents feel that the media does not

influence them in shaping inferior attitude towards women.

• 100% the respondents believe that a women’s interest should be inclined to

aesthetics and the media plays a huge role in influencing this belief

• 100% respondents hold stereotypical and patriarchal expectations

portrayed in the media. They want the traditional set of responsibilities

constantly showcased (like nursing, caring, cleaning etc) to be fulfilled by

their partners or siblings.Their expectations from their partner and female

siblings are largely with regard to running a family and household

• 16% of the respondents agreed that the media is influencing them and they

expect their siblings and partners to be like the ideal women shown in

television

• 99% of the respondents said that they believe in these prejudices

because of media influence.

Findings Comparing Age Across Different Domains:

• The results show that men between the age group 26-29 are influenced with

superiority attitudes by the media.

• Men between the age group of 24-26 are more influenced by the media in

forming assumptions about interests of women.

44
• Men in the age group of 21-23 are more influenced by the media

in in holding stereotypical and patriarchal set of expectations and

responsibilities.

• Out of 16 respondents who influenced were by the media with

regard to appearance related expectations from women 9 belong

to the age group of 21-23.

• Out of 99 respondents who believe and expect stereotypical

behavior from women due to media influence 40 belonged to the

age group 0f 21-23 and 39 to the age group of 24-26.

Findings Across Institutions

• All colleges on an equal proportion disagree that the media

generates feelings of superiority on them

• Respondents from all colleges believe that the media is

generating an influence on them with regard to beliefs centring

the interests of women.

• All respondents from all colleges believe that the media is

generating an influence on them with regard to beliefs centring

the interests of women.

• Students from Christ University are least affected by the media in

holding appearance related assumptions.

• There is no significant difference across institutions on the

influence generated by the media in shaping stereotypical

believes.

45
Conclusion

From the above analysis and findings we can conclude that media is

influencing the concept of gender among men. There is definitely an attempt to

accommodate the changing role of women .But largely it reinforces the

mainstream ideology: patriarchy.

Though all of us are aware that the representations are not true the study

has proved that these images are being woven by men into their lives. From the

responses it can be concluded that there are primarily three themes on which the

media is generating influences.

First, women are underrepresented, which falsely implies that men are

the cultural standard and women are unimportant or invisible. Second, men and

women are portrayed in stereotypical ways that reflect and sustain socially

endorsed views of gender. Third , depictions of relationships between men and

women emphasize traditional roles and normalize violence against women.

On ,the whole it cannot be denied that the media is generating demining

attitudes towards women among male students.

46
Suggestions:

From the inferences made through this study ,the researcher has the following

suggestions:

• It has been proved from this study , that the media is shaping considerable

influence on men. According to the theory of Social Learning, human

beings learn through observation and imitation. So, it is very likely that

such portrayal will trigger patriarchal behavior by men towards women in

their daily lives. Thus there is a strong need for research studies to

examine the implications of such portrayal in real lives and the harmful

effects in the society.

• The study also shows that the portrayals in the media are demining ,far

fledged and derogatory to the dignity of women .Therefore, the researcher

feels the need for studies that will critically examine media content.

• The researcher suggests that there should be studies that look at media’s

responsibility towards society and critically evaluate it in it’s functioning as

a means of development.

47
APPENDIX A

48
References:

Aries, E.(1987).Gender and Communication .

Barnes, J.H., Jr. & Dotson, M.J. (1990) An exploratory investigation into the

nature of offensive television advertising. Journal of Advertising, 19 (September),

pp. 61–69.

Bereaud, S. R. Sex role images in French children's books. Journal of Marriage and

the Family, 1975, 37, 194-207

Creedon, P. J.(1993) Women in Mass Communication. Newbury Park. Calif Sage.

Dickinson S & Gill D; Are women offended by the way they are portrayed in

advertising? Sonia Dickinson and Donna Gill

Dines, G. and Humez J.M (2003).Gender, Race and Class in Media

Dines, G. and Humez, J. (1995): Gender, Race and Class in Media; London: Sage

Fiona M, (2005) Media-portrayed idealized images, body shame, and appearance

anxiety

Friedan, B., (1963), The Feminine Mystique, Harmondsworth: Penquin

Fiske,J.(1987). Television and women’s culture; London: Sage

Ford, J.B. & La Tour, M.J. (1993) differing reactions to female role portrayals in

advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, September–October, pp. 43–52.

Gail D. H, Bryn M and Sangeeta B, Gender and achievement-related beliefs among

engineering students

Gallagher, M.(2011).Gender Setting: New agendas for monitoring and advocacy

49
Gauntlett D, Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction

Gunter, B. (1986): Television and Sex Role Stereotyping. London: John Libbey

Ingham, H (2000) The Portrayal of Women on Television

Kelly A M & Lisa S, (2007) The Ms. Stereotype revisited: Implicit and Explicit

Facets, Psychology of women quarterly

Kuhn, A. (1985): The Power of the Image - Essays on Representation and

Sexuality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul

Mackinnon, K. (2003).Representing Men: maleness and masculinity in the media.

London, E. Arnold

Mary A K & Gerald R. A (1979) Implications of Sex Typed Child Rearing

Practices, Toys, and Mass Media Materials in Restricting Occupational Choices of

Women

Minh - Ha, T.T. (1991): When the Moon Waxes Red. London: Routledge

Penny, R & Gillian F, (1994) The disempowering effects of media violence against

women on women

Pichandy C (1988) Relating to communication and social influence

Trowler, P. (1988): Investigating the Media. London: Collins

Walby, S. (1990).Theorizing Patriarchy Oxford, Blackwell

Williams, D. G. (1987) Women’s roles and problems in media

Wimmer R D (2003) Mass Media Research - An introduction, Georgia 2003.

Young M L (2005) Media & Society: A Critical Perspective/Mass Communication:

Living in a Media World Journalism & Mass Communication Educator

50
51
 APPENDIX B

Questionnaire

Dear friend,

52
 I am conducting a research on ‘ Role Of Media In Shaping

Stereotypical and Patriarchal Attitudes’ as part of the course

undertaken by me in the university. Please fill in these questionnaires

to the best of your knowledge and interests.

1-Completely Agree

2-Agree

3-Partially Agree

4-Diasgree

Questions Relating To Equality 1 2 3 4

1. I expect my female siblings to be submissive to

me

2. I think It is alright for a women to be financially

dependent on her spouse or male members in

the family but the same is derogatory to the

dignity of a man

3. I believe think that education is more

important for a man than a woman

4. I Get offended if my wife or sisters disagree

with my views

5. I Respect my father and other male members

in the family more than my mothers other

woman at home

6. I think It is derogatory to their dignity to

involve in household chores

7. I Believe that is an insult to a man if his wife or

sister is smarter than him

8. I feel it is unacceptable if a wife earns more

53
 than her husband

9. I feel it is unacceptable if a wife is more

qualified than her husband

10 I think Men and women are not mutually

. dependent on each other. Women cannot live

without the support of a man

11 I think It is not cultured for a woman to be a

. social drinker while the same does not apply to

a man

Questions Relating To Values and

Interests
1 I think It is unnatural for a woman to have

greater inclination towards sports than

aesthetics

2. I think the discipline forces are meant only for

men

3 Questions Relating To Expectations and

Responsibilities

4. I Feel that I have greater responsibilities and

power in running my family Completely agree

5. I Feel happy and pleased if my wife /female

siblings are dependent on me even for small

chores and to make small decisions

6. I believe It is the duty of a women to take care

of her husband’s parents but if the husband

does the same it reflects his generosity and

kind heartedness

7. I believe It is the duty of a women to take care

54
 of her husband’s parents but if the husband

does the same it reflects his generosity and

kind heartedness

8. I Believe that nursing children is the duty of

women

9. I think It is the duty of a good wife to adjust to

her husband and his family ’s ways of living

10 I think Women should always give more

. attention to their families than their career

11 I believe It is always a greater responsibility to

. raise a girl compared to a boy

12 I Prefer to have male children

13 I think that it is not necessary for a man to

. socialize with his wife’s family and friends

14 I believe women have to be given limited

. freedom and their activities need to be

monitored

15 I think a man should not compromise on his

career for his wife irrespective of her

designation

16 It is mandatory that a women should know how

. to cook well while the same does not apply to a

man

17 I believe Women have to sacrifice their social

. lives for their families

Questions Relating To Appearance

55
1. I Expect my wife and sisters to be dressed like

the ‘ideal’ sister or wife shown in television

show

2. I Expect all women to be as beautiful as women

shown in televisions

3. I think all women are jealous of other beautiful

women

4. I think all women love dressing up

5. I think all women are greedy when it comes to

jewellery and clothes

Questions Relating To Sex role typing

1. I feel Women who give more priority to their

career cannot be good wives and mothers

2. I feel that women are emotional and irrational

while men are practical and logical

3. I think men can handle challenging

circumstances better than women

4 I think Only a man has to take the first step in

initiating a relationship

5. I think Women escape from difficulties by crying

6 I believe It is essential to use different

parenting styles for a boy child and a and a girl

child

7 I think Patience and tolerance ought to be

nurtured in a girl child from childhood

8 I think a women should not walk out of a

marriage. She should always strive to make it

work

56
9 I think Woman who are cultured don’t talk

about sexuality and reproductive rights

10 I think all Women are possessive

11 I think all women are attention seekers

12 I think all women are suspicious and insecure in

. relationships

13 I think If a child is not well behaved then the

. mother is to be blamed

14 I think being cultured is more important for a

woman than a man

15 I think Remarriage is acceptable for a man but

. not for a woman

16 I think All young girls fall for chocolates, flowers

and pink clothes

17 I think All women love to gossip and back bite

18 I think a women’s character is defined by her

clothes

19 I believe A ideal wife will never wish to have an

. identity of her own

20 Women outsmart men in academics because

they are book worms .Men definitely have

greater skills than them

57
21 I think men are better leaders than women

22 All women are greedy when it comes to

. jewellery and clothes

23 I think Women demand for reservations

. because their low capacities

24 All women’s rights activists are anti-men

25 A wife will not have male friends ad it will affect

. her husbands

58