People and their Professions, The Chronicle...
People and their Professions, The Chronicle
Date: January 1, 1970
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On a special page called ?The Kids Corner?, the various professions of women and men are portrayed through images and text.
On a special page called ?The Kids Corner?, the various professions of women and men are portrayed through images and text.
This article may be used to:
- Illustrate how the media perpetuates gender stereotypes.
Trainer’s notes
This page reinforces the traditional roles of women and men, and perpetuates the stereotypes that only men can be bus drivers or join the police force, and women can only be nurses or housewives. The professions described on the page are a teacher (male), a housewife (female), an army commander (male), the police commissioner (male), a nurse (female) and a bus driver (male).
The professional images affirm, rather than challenge, the stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in a society. The leadership positions which carry authority on the page are all held by men, while women are in the nurturing and care-giving roles. The shaping of minds for the future, outside of the home, also is depicted as the role of a man(the male teacher).
This page, which is targeted at children, reinforces the socialisation they receive at home, in the church and other institutions about what ‘women should do’, and ‘what men should do’. It ignores the reality that there are male nurses, female bus drivers and that women can hold leadership positions within the army and police when they are given equal opportunities to hold these posts.
The language used to describe the professionals refers mainly to their ‘service roles’. The language used to describe the housewife conveys the message that a ‘woman’s place is in the home’ if she is to have a ‘very happy family’. She also is described as a ‘hard worker’ who does everything for her family with love, again reinforcing the notion of ‘good behaviour’ for a woman.
Training exercises
Exercise one: Look at the case study and discuss the following:
- What are the professions for women?
- What are the professions for men?
- What gender stereotypes does the page reinforce?
Exercise two: Develop a new ‘Kids Corner’ portraying women and men in professions that challenge gender roles. Present your reconstructed page.
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