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Gender Inequality in Cartoons

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Gender Inequality in Modern Day Cartoons
Children often enjoy waking up extra early on Saturday and Sunday mornings because they know that they can enjoy warm pancakes, bacon, and eggs, and especially early morning cartoons. Weekend morning cartoons are always enjoyable to watch because they are simply hilarious. They usually consist of funny and innocent violence that is meant to attract a younger audience. Children are able to watch cartoons carelessly and laugh, not realizing how gender inequality or even racism is displayed in cartoons today. Research by Jerry A. Jacobs and Kathleen Gerson (2004) states that “gender inequality exists typically when women have less power than men or vice versa, and this can either be at home, school, or in the workplace” (p. 89). Gender inequality is socially constructed meaning people respond to changing behaviors in society. Cecilia L. Ridgeway (1997) researches that gender inequality is in fact socially constructed and she states “a part of that is learning how to display masculinity or femininity, which is seen or learned. For example, stereotypically, men are more focused with physical strength while woman are more focused on how they present themselves as viewing objects” (p. 225).
Cartoon Network, a popular television network for children plays various cartoons such as The Flintstones, Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Thundercats, and more. Although all of these cartoons are hilarious because of the characters and the dialect, there is more behind the humor. Typically, these cartoons portray views of men and women differently because they focus on men as always working and providing for the family and women as always staying home maintaining the house, taking care of the kids and always wanting to look their best. Today, gender inequality still exists and it’s wrong and not fair. One of the easiest places to find

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