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Sexual prejudices in mass media
September 14, 2004
Influenced by traditional social norm, China's media is still accustomed to
treating women's images and the discussion of them from a men-dominating view.
Audiences should remain highly sensitive toward the many phenomena in the media
of inequality between the sexes.
Though the slogan of "equality between men and women" has been called upon tens
of years, the feudal consciousness that women are inferior to men still stings
some people's minds.
When examining and analyzing women's images and the discussions on them in
present media, it is deliberately and carelessly exerting on the public
prejudices and discrimination against women.
Bias on Women Images
An article extolling mothers stated, "Mother, how toilsome you are all your
life! You devote completely to the whole family, serve as an able and virtuous
wife and mother, abide strictly by the moral standard of the spiritual fetters
imposed on women in feudal society. How great the unselfishness of mothers'
love is. How lucky women are that the Creator gave the right to be mothers only
to them."
Here, the unselfishness and the sacrificing spirits of mothers are always the
main subjects the media covers.
However, their independent personality, characteristics, individual
developments and freedom in choosing their own life style are seldom
highlighted.
From the reports of the media, we can hardly have an understanding about what
social status mothers have. They are being extolled usually because they
selflessly fostered daughters and sons to gain high social status.
The same as the ode to mothers, wives are always described as the natural
bearers of all house work no matter whether they have their own careers.
Such prejudice is especially conspicuous when covering successful women. The
reports in the media often include their compunction to their husbands for they
are too busy with work to do house work.
For example, in covering four delegates of the people's congress, the three
male delegates were praised for their achievements in the sphere of learning.
While the female delegate was introduced for her good performance both in work
and in house chores, how well she solved the conflicts between her two roles --
a professional woman and a good wife.
Nothing was mentioned on how the male delegates deal with their house work.
This reflects that in the mind of the writer, men do not share domestic
responsibility. They are only valued by their performances at work, while a
excellent woman should accomplish both at work and home.
The Slight Shade of Feudal Ideology
In some reports on women who have been raped or forced to provide special
services in places like night clubs, the authors often emphasize on whether
"they lost their precious virginity" but not on the violation of human rights.
Those journalists use words like "praising their spirit of better to die in
glory than live in dishonor" and "protecting their virginity at a
blood-shedding price." It is undoubtedly the reflection of female virginity
worship in news reports.
"Virginity" is a kind of spiritual oppression on women by the male dominated
culture. Such oppression is still constantly revealed in reports of modern
media.
On the other hand, what are men described as?
A report on a youth and juvenile's newspaper said, hundreds of boys swore
together that "we are men -- the ridgepoles of the future world; we are men,
the synonym of responsibility, courage and tolerance. We will strike hardships
with our life and advance in shining sparks."
The report explained why it gave such distinction to these boys as, today's
boys are far less brave, hardworking and confident than before.
So its not necessary for girls to possess such qualities? Aren't they also the
ridgepoles of the future world?
In fact, such education places girls in an inferior social position. Simply
stressing on the brave enterprising spirits of boys and the gentle and quiet
qualities of girls, will for sure confine the individual development and social
intercourse abilities of the children, and at the same time expand the
inequality of sexes.
Revealing the Male-Centered Culture in Advertising
An investigation on the best-time for TV advertisements in ten large cities of
China pointed out that men took 71 percent of the hero characters in ads for
electronic products, technology and machines.
In some computer ads, most of the heroes are men; women only serve as a
contrast or foil, kinda decoration to men.
For example, the expert of a computer network is always a confident middle-
aged man; a man deep in thought sitting beside the laser jet printers; a man
using a portable PC is watching a lady dressed in a swimming suit dancing on
the screen...
Such media are deliberately giving an indication to people that men are the
chief users of computers or the internet; and women are irrelevant to them.
In advertisements, women often serve as the objects of viewing and admiring.
Some cosmetics advertisements told women that "only beauty can help them to
keep confidence, pride, love and a happy life." An advertisement said, after
taking a kind of pill, a woman get rid of the acne on her face.
She regained her beauty and has even been promoted to be the secretary of the
general manager. She won both the recognition of her leader and praises from
her friends.
Here, women's independent personality and creativity are written off. Being the
objects of men's desire became the only value of them.
A Neglected Problem by the Media: Educating Men
All along, our media are full of zest in educating women -- from every angle
and in all kinds of ways -- to educate them to be self-reliant, clever, firm
and gentle. But they all neglect to educate the other sex -- men.
The problem is revealed in different aspects:
First, there are tens of women's newspapers and magazines in the country but
only two men's. And those two are both just concerning life. The non-women
media are also more interested in educating women than men.
Most topics on human emotions and family problems are concentrated on women. It
seems that women have many more puzzles than men in emotional and family life.
Second, those articles published in corners of the newspapers and magazines for
men can be basically divided into two parts: providing a place for men to
complain and pour out their woes -- how difficult it is being husbands; another
kind is teaching men the tactics to deal with women. Such articles do not do
any harm or good to men though, it is no doubt that they just can't educate
them.
In the minds of many persons operating newspapers and magazines, there is
always a concept "women need more to be educated than men." Because from
history to reality, women are always put on an inferior position than men.
Beside politics and regulations, education is another effective tool to help
the weak and small women to be stronger. Such education includes how to foster
independent personality to develop the quality of a good mother and wife. But
what about men?
Are they already independent and firm enough that they need no education any
more? As for a good husband and father -- the two roles are not so important
compared with other roles men take in the society. So they are not the
important problems needed to be taught to men.
There is a hidden expectation toward women behind such a phenomenon, that is to
play well every one of their roles in the society. But the society has a
tolerant attitude toward whether men should play all their roles perfectly. The
result could be women advance constantly while men stay where they are. The
conflicts between the sexes emerge from every aspect in modern society.
It is time for the society as a whole to pay enough attention to the education
of men after it had been long ignored by the media. Toward men, the urgent and
chief contents of education should be how to posses a noble character, mature
quality and the real family and life responsibility. Real equality between the
sexes can only be realized by the efforts of both women and men.
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