...which the cultural and social norms of American society are presented, affirmed, and archived. As a cultural product, film is produced through the intersections of race, art, culture, and economic advantage. In African American studies, the scholarship of black gender and sexuality is largely based in the intellectual tradition that grew out of the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, with one of its aims being the critically examination of key issues, assumptions, and debates in contemporary, post-civil rights African American feminist thought. Under academic inquiry of American film, African American studies situates a cultural discourse that works to examine the behaviors, conditions, and attitudes that foster stereotypes of sexual and gender roles based upon class, oppression, sex, and gender identity, as social constructs, and finds them to be historically and inextricably bound together. As a constructed cultural product, African American film studies finds its diverse cultural legacy rooted in the activist culture of the American civil rights movement....
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...Gender roles are the stereotypical attributes, that made men believe- as well as portray that they are and will be, the stronger sex. Women have been deemed “hysterical” and “weak”, but they are far from those words. Women have undergone different gender stereotypes, while men take them for granted and see them as theirs. Judeth Butler made it known that gender roles were fictional. Spanish, African American, post-colonial women and Native American women faced horrendous obstacles throughout their life with gender roles and unjust events – and those obstacles are still being faced in today’s culture. Gender roles and gender stereotypes are what men have based their whole life existence around. “All gendered behavior in our society is an act.”...
Words: 847 - Pages: 4
...Influence of gender, race and socioeconomic differences on depression Introduction According to Link and Phelan (1995), socioeconomic resources are a major determinant of differences in wellbeing of people. This paper draws heavily on the work of Roxburgh (2009) to extend on the fundamental cause perspective by expanding of the definition of resources, examining how race and gender influence the differences in relations between resources and mental health and modeling the relation between social status, gender and race while taking into account any differences in effect of resources across race and gender. While Roxburgh (2009) used a 2003 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) dataset, this study used the 2011 NHIS dataset. According to fundamental cause perspective, socioeconomic resources (education, income and wealth) enables one to access resources which leads to better health outcomes through its influences on attitudes and behavior. According to role theory, the relation between role occupancy and health stems from access to resources, for example, social support which is derived from occupying socially value roles (Simon, 1995). For example, the primary social roles of marriage and employment confer one psychosocial support, social support and economic resources which lead to differences in welfare of individuals. For the case of employment, economic benefit in terms of income and co-worker social support plus the structured working routines encourage healthy...
Words: 2390 - Pages: 10
...Gender, Class, and Race Stereotypes in American Television A Content Analysis Gender, class, and race stereotypes abound in contemporary society, much like they have done throughout human history. With the advent of television, however, stereotypical assumptions have become so pervasive, and so diffused, that some call for a serious and purposeful scrutiny of television's contents. On the following pages, various content analyses of television programs will be addressed, followed by discussions on the greater implications race, class, and gender stereotypes have on society. The research method most often used in studying media images is called content analysis. Content analysis is a descriptive method in which researchers analyze the actual content of documents and/or programs. By systematically counting items pertaining to a specific category, researchers are able to conceptualize a larger theoretical framework based on their observations of media content (Wiseman 1970). Content analyses of television programming show, that during prime time hours, men make up the vast majority of characters shown. Furthermore, women characters found during that same time frame are mainly in comedies, while men predominate in dramas. Thus, the implications are that men are to be taken serious, while women should not. (Tuchman 1978). Similarly, content analyses on soap operas reveal highly stereotypical representations of the genders. In soap operas, strong, willful women are predominantly...
Words: 1249 - Pages: 5
...October 3, 2011/Fall 2011 African Diaspora & The World (SADW 111-05) Shaping my Diaspora Consciousness vs. Society An old saying about the African American slave trade still circulates amongst us today: "they set us 'free' while keeping us enslaved." After the abolishment of physical slavery, the self-esteem and sense of identity of many African Americans remained in the hands of the dominant race. Their tools of malice and control transitioned from whips and legislation to social stigmas and stereotypes. The social stigmas and stereotypes formed are the concepts of identity, race and gender. As notions of equality grew more popular, the malice diminished but the social stigmas and stereotypes remained. To deny their influence on the shaping of my identity would be equivalent to denying the slave trade's existence. Despite the relevance of both in today's society, both are starting to fade away into the thick cloud of historical amnesia that tends to grasp the minds of every American generation. In order to ensure that the lesson’s learned, and to be learned from both remain, it is imperative that such topics be discussed and evaluated. Identity is a complex shaped by individual characteristics. Gender is however a group defined by masculinity and femininity, the attributes attached to being born male or female. Race is framed by social relations and historical context. All social conceptions formed by social construction. People don’t have an understanding of how society...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...or try out a relationship by going out together to various places and doing different things together depending upon interests and preferences. The time spent together determines whether the pair will continue to see each other and further establish their relationship or end things and date someone else with whom they might feel a stronger connection. This research intends to question the differences in the practices of dating between gender, race and socioeconomic status and why these differences persist. Is it just the societal norms that further reinforce these practices or is it because of other factors, which tie in to gender roles, cultural values, or social class status. Throughout the research there were similar ideas of social norms that are accepted when one is dating. The most common ones appeared to be gift giving, meeting each other’s family, dressing up and going out, and labeling the relationship when asked. These are all considered important moments that signify to society that two people are in a relationship. As far as genders go the results when looking into dating habits seemed...
Words: 956 - Pages: 4
...A Gender Comparison of Resiliency among Older African American Katrina Survivors Name Institution Date A Gender Comparison of Resiliency among Older African American Katrina Survivors The hurricane Katrina is rated the fifth most deadly hurricane in the history of the United States. The period of the hurricane witnessed massive destruction of property besides lost of lives. In addition to thee various forms of loss that became manifested in the period of the menace, a number of cases of psychological torture were reported due to the fear of the unknown. The coast regions reported high number of these cases with the coast line extending from central Florida to Texas experiencing the highest cases of destruction and situations of general turmoil. In connection to the harsh situations experience in this period, the reaction strategy among persons affected was different (Lawson, 2010). The manner in which persons reacted to this calamity depended on a number of factors among the ethical group, gender, geographical region besides other aspects that became highly central in the nature of the reactions. In most instances, copying strategies were adopted in order to help persons effectively adapt to the situations that also involved designing possible measures for curbing the adverse effects of the hurricane. Among the group of persons that were highly affected by the calamity was the African American community. A key attribute to this was the large number of the ethnic...
Words: 1466 - Pages: 6
...the situation. When confronting the wage gap in American throughout race, is linked to plain old-fashion discrimination. African American men earned 22% less than a Caucasian when in fact they were doing the same work. (Alexis, 1998) In the late 70’s early 80’s the rate was at 17% or even less. (Maume, 2004) On the other hand African American women earned 11.7% less than white women in the year of...
Words: 1590 - Pages: 7
...target of the peer bullying in the school settings due to their gender identity. As a result of prolonged bullying, she started presenting internalizing problems, such as sadness, anxiety, poor appetite, sleep disturbance, and persistent restlessness. In considering her presenting problems, an appropriate treatment plan should be developed based on Adisa’s developmental stage, gender identity, ethnicity and cultural background, bullying-peer relationships, and presenting symptoms....
Words: 563 - Pages: 3
...Gender Identity among African Americans Teresa Rucker SOC/338 10/29/13 Dr. A. McDaniel When defining Gender Identity it is said to be a person’s inner sense of being male or female and this sense usually developed during early childhood as a result of parental rearing practices and societal influences and strengthened during puberty by hormonal changes (Dictionary.com). This journey will examine the gender identity among African Americans and highlight the importance of African American women to the women movement. An African American woman will be chosen and a discussion will be done on her importance to the women movement era. Then the journey will end with a discussion on the differences and similarities between African American female and male identity and how has female identity change in the last thirty years. In examining the gender identity among African Americans it is said to be that men exhibit masculine traits and women express feminine traits. Even though African American men and women experience devastating times during slavery their identity roles were different. Black males were the first slaves to be brought to the colonies because they were viewed as being valuable and do to their strength they could perform various duties like building and plowing. Black women were purchased to be field workers. Mainly they worked the fields and this was seen as domestic work for women slaves. In slavery the black women identity was also seen as an economic advantage...
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...Sociologist Erving Goffman, describes gender as a display role expected of us that is not assigned by birth. It concerns the psychological, social, and cultural differences between males and females, such as personality, goals, and social roles (Giddens 273). Social expectations about behavior regarded as appropriate for the members of each sex. Gender has to do with culture, and is something that is not natural. Gender is something that we both learn and do. As a result, there is gender role socialization, the process in which we learn about male and female typed roles. Some of which are social agents such as family and the media (Giddens 273). For example, boys may learn how to engage in rambunctious and aggressive play by watching their favorite male WWE fighter on TV. On the other hand, young girls may learn how to cook, clean and nurture their younger siblings by following the model...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...been the biggest factor in this is race and gender. The main things that make this so substantial is time period, current standing in economy, and protests. To start off with we are going to go all the way back to February 3rd, 1870 and this was when the 15th amendment was passed saying that government could not deny a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or background. This was the start of the big role African Americans play into the presidential election today. Now we move on quite a bit as well and go to August 18th, 1920 and this was when women first got their right to vote. It took 50 years after...
Words: 617 - Pages: 3
...Gender Differences are socially determined. A child can be born female and male but they have to grow and develop their gender. There are quite a few factors that play a part in determining what roles an individual plays in gender. The factors that are the most influential are family, culture, friends, and music. The family is the first influence that shapes and molds the gender of each child. Even from the beginning the mother talks to the child within the womb. She may tell the child (if it is a girl) that you will be pretty, smart, caring, important, and etc. There are times the child takes on the behavior that the mother exhibited during pregnancy. I observed a situation of a close relative, where her husband continued to leave the relationship and comeback and leave again. It was understood after speaking with the mom that she left her relationship with his dad a lot during the pregnancy. During the growing up process the child observes the roles of the mother and the roles of the father. In the cases where the mother is the more dominant or the father is less dominant, there is a possibility that the daughter may grow up and be a dominant individual. Girls mock the behavior of their mothers. She may see her mom being feminine; mother may wear make-up, dresses, heals, and exhibit the characteristics of what some may consider being a lady. In an ideal world a father or male influence would show boys how to fix cars, build things, do yard work, be a provider, and a protector...
Words: 942 - Pages: 4
...comparing gender roles. By: Dominique Hoskins Shorter University Statement of the problem: This study needs to be conducted because over past years throughout television, there have not been enough representations of wealthy African-American families being portrayed. Many shows like My Wife & Kids have tried to carry out with their own originality. So far none have been able to connect with audience in an influential way as The Cosby Show. Lit Review: Slide one: * Tannen (2010) mentions that both masculine and feminine conversational styles are equally valid; her use of the term genderlect reflects this idea. * Describing them as masculine and feminine styles presents them as two distinct cultural dialects rather than as inferior or superior ways of speaking also * Tannen (2010) identifies that each gender uses its own distinctive language codes to draw different inferences from the same message. Slide two: Studies using Genderlect Styles Purpose (importance) of the study: The purpose of this study will be to discover the progress of wealthy educated African-American families portrayed on television. The central concept being studied are the married couples from the 1980’s sitcom The Cosby Show and 2015’s Blackish. Using Genderlect Styles theory the researcher hopes to determine if gender roles have changed from the 1980’s to 2015 for wealthy educated African-American families. Research question(s): RQ: How have the gender roles for a...
Words: 424 - Pages: 2
...Media in the Socialization of Children and Young Adults The media today are a powerful tool in modifying the behavior of children and young adults. This behavior can be seen as negative or positive depending on the situation. Children’s development is influenced by many factors but as Lund (2003) noted the significance of the mass media cannot be overstated: “The accumulated experience of media exposure contributes to the cultivation of a child’s values, beliefs, dreams, and expectations, which shape the adult identity a child will carry and modify through his or her life.” Studies investigating Social Learning Theory, done by Baker (2007, p.26) have consistently reported that children can model roles and behaviors seen on television. Media play a significant role in the socialization process, body image, and moral judgments in children and adolescents. Cartoons on television are some of the first factors of socialization in a child’s life. Although many adults feel that cartoons are obviously fantastical, unrealistic, and therefore harmless to children, the research evidence proves otherwise. “According to developmental literature, children before the age of ten years often have difficulty differentiating between reality and fantasy”(Baker, 2007, p.25). Anderson found (as cited by Lund) that students who had regularly watched educational television as children had higher grade point averages than those who did not. Other research has found a more negative influence...
Words: 4134 - Pages: 17
