...Steele, Y. Susan Choi, and Nalini Ambady Harvard University In press in T.A. Thorkildsen, J. Manning, & H.J. Walberg (Eds.), Children and Youth Series: Nurturing Morality. New York: Kluwer Academic. Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination: The effect of group based expectations on moral functioning As citizens of the United States, we are extremely fortunate to live in a democracy, and more specifically, a society that upholds egalitarian and meritocratic ideals. As a nation, we have fought wars and faced internal struggles in order to establish this system and champion these values. Within the last two centuries we have abolished slavery, given women the right to vote, and desegregated schools. In more recent years the movement towards equal opportunity has been advanced even further; public and private schools have increased financial support for economically disadvantaged scholars, and affirmative action programs have been developed as yet another means of combating inequities. It would seem that as a society, we are moving towards our moral ideal of equality for one and all. And yet, disparities remain. Race continues to be inextricably linked to socio-economic status and education level, with certain racial and ethnic groups, such as Caucasian- and Asian-Americans reaping more societal advantages on average than others, including African-Americans and Latinos. Women remain under-represented in many prestigious and lucrative fields, such as engineering...
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...or female, and an important aspect of self-concepts. Studies show there are a variety of factors that help determine gender identity. Most of us can remember something that helped determine our own personal identity. These personal experiences were important as they helped shape the future and what gender would be identified with. I will share my own personal reflection at what exactly helped me determine my own personal gender identify. There are also stereotypes that associate with each gender that help shape characters and who we are as well as who we will become. These stereotypes will be addressed as well as their importance. Biological factors play a huge role in shaping children's physical development. For instance, boys and girls are born with distinctive sexual organs, and become further differentiated when secondary sexual characteristics emerge upon puberty. Naturally occurring chemical messenger compounds in the body known as hormones are responsible for coordinating the appearance of these physical differences. Some research suggests that the same sex hormones that enable sexual organ differentiation in utero and which later trigger puberty also plays an important role in shaping gender identity. Boys tend to have more androgens (male sex hormones) than girls. However, some boys and girls are born with a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which causes them to have significantly higher levels of androgens than their non-affected...
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...the female stereotypic role is to marry and have children. She is to put her family's welfare before her own; be loving, compassionate, nurturing, and sympathetic; and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. The male stereotypic role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive, competitive, independent, career‐focused, and always initiate sex. These sorts of stereotypes can prove to be harmful; they can suppress individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth. Children learn gender stereotypes from socialization. Gender socialization is the process where children learn to develop behaviours regarding what constitutes being a male or female. Beginning at a young age, parents, school, peers and the media highly influence the gender behaviours children replicate and ultimately internalize. My compilation of media entries focuses on the progression and adaptation of gender stereotypes in the media. Over time, perceptions of gender roles have changed, causing the media to modify traditional marketing tactics to conform to them. I chose to organize my entries into three sections. The first category, incorporating the first three entries, provides examples of existing gender stereotypes in the media and consumerism. The following two entries fall into the second category, describing products and their accompanied advertisements that break typical gender stereotypes. The final section, incorporating the last three...
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...estimated that in 2050, 67 million people will be immigrants and another 47 million people will be the children of immigrants. (The "Pew Research Center") (2012). While there are benefits of such a diverse nation, the United States still faces many challenges, because of prejudice and discrimination. With the rising population of immigrants, the population of people living in poverty will also rise. With the rise of people living in poverty, there will also be a rise in crime. The reason for this is, people who live in poverty have less access to high paying jobs are more likely to participate in illegal activities, such as dealing drugs to make money. Minorities and immigrants are statistically paid less than whites, for doing the same jobs. So this is what leads to poverty. The rising crime rate among minorities and immigrants also leads to the separation of families. Many children in poverty ridden neighborhoods are raised by single parents. The rising number of crimes in these neighborhoods leads to more parents, mostly men put in prison, therefor leaving the women to raise the children on their own. Another disadvantage is more prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice and discrimination can be seen in the workforce, neighborhoods, and schools. Minority workers are paid less for their skills, than natural born works, neighborhoods are segregated, and minority children are lacking in education. While these are all...
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...have more dolls, crafts, and domestic objects, and boys are found to have more blocks, sport related toys, and vehicles. By age three children can distinguish whether a toy is a “girl” toy or a “boy” toy. They also prefer playing in same sex groups. One study done showed that adults interact infants differently based on their sex. If the adults thinks that the infant is a girl, then they used more feminine toys (e. g. dolls) and will talk the the baby more...
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...EFFECTS OF MEDIA IN SOCIALIZATION The Effects of Media in the Socialization of Children and Young Adults The Effects of 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)...
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...disabilities. Ageism: bias based on chronological age. Typically directed toward elderly people. Heterosexism: a belief system that devalues lesbians, gay males, and bisexuals – or any group that is not exclusively heterosexual. Feminist/ Feminism: women and men should be socially, economically, and legally equal. Women and men who hold these beliefs are feminists, however many people believe in feminist principles, even if they do not identify themselves as feminists. Cultural Feminism: emphasizes the positive qualities that are presumed to be strong in women than in men qualities such as nurturing and caretaking. (Cooperation) Liberal Feminism: emphasizes the goal of gender equality, giving women and men the same rights and opportunities. (Reduce our culture’s rigid gender roles) Radical Feminism: argues that the basic cause of women’s oppression lies deep in the entire sex and gender system, rather than in some superficial laws and policies. (Dramatically change its policies on sexuality and on violence against women) Women-of-Color Feminism: emphasize that feminism must pay attention to other human dimensions such as ethnicity and social class. Similarities perspective:...
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...The influence of media on gender roles Over the last forty years, the gender roles for male and female have changed quite a bit. In the past, women were often viewed as having to assume the duties of the housewife, while the men are the breadwinner in the family. However, these stereotypical views of men and women alike have changed over time to shape the present. Firstly, in attempt to define the meaning of a stereotype Wikipedia (2009) notes that: “Stereotype is a preconceived, oversimplified, exaggerated, and often demeaning assumption of the characteristics possessed by an individual due to his or her membership in a specific group. [It] usually functions to deny individuals respect or legitimacy based on their membership in that group. They are the hardest to dislodge in situations where a dominant group desires to keep another group subordinate”. The purpose of this essay is to generate an understanding of how gender roles are shaped and defined in society due to an overwhelming amount of stereotyping and the influence of the mass media that has left an undeniable impact on our everyday life. When talking about gender, we are referring to “culturally learned notions of masculinity and femininity” (Tepperman et al., 2007, p. 187). As noted by Tepperman (2007), “From a social standpoint, gender is the social enactment of a biological difference.” The result of this is males are treated as men because they play masculine roles, and females are treated as women because...
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...To further address the issues of why female students underperform in mathematics, Shapiro and Williams (2012) offer several stereotype interventions. One of the interventions is a self-affirmation, which is a process of creating positive thoughts about one’s importance or value that is different than the negative threatening situation. Concentrating on a positive thought of value, unrelated to mathematical tasks, elevates the stress of stereotype threat. Another intervention proposed in the article is intended in reducing the differences between the two opposing sides. As an example, women can examine how they are similar with men, instead of concentrating on differences, prior to the test. This strategy has shown to improve women’s achievements significantly (Shapiro and Williams,...
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...Studies have shown that there is a relationship between the media and the issues of women in STEM. These articles look at how the media creates an image of scientists on the basis of stereotypes and the gender gap. All these different shows take on the topic in certain ways that may put women studying STEM in either a positive or negative light. However, they do all focus on the idea of making these field gender inclusive. Men want what was once theirs to stay theirs, except society has grown to be more accepting of woman in these fields. This raises the question of where are all the women in STEM fields. There seems to be interest, but the number of women who actually pursue these fields is really low. Other similar research examines the numerous...
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...problem as women represent 51 percent of the population, which means that slightly more than half of the population is affected by gender inequality. Media is a powerful entity and has the ability to...
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...identify the importance of representation in media by examining the effects of it on the world we live in today. It will not only discuss one group of people (such as just people of color but many groups such as women and people of a certain age range. Studies will be shown to convey the possible connection between how long children are involved in some form of media and the way certain demographics are depicted in the media children watch. Considering the fact that children, and people in general, spend a lot of their time involved in some form of media there is some sort of correlation between media and perception. An answer will be given on whether traditions and customs depicted have can have an possible...
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...Stereotypes are sometimes inescapable. Everyday activities, such as doctor visits, shopping, as well as others, may be interrupted by people placing stereotypes on young children. The origin of these gender stereotypes is thought to stem from the portrayal of princesses and the images they project to children. The author of “Cinderella and Princess Culture”, Peggy Orenstein, shares her frustration and claims the only way to get rid of female stereotyping is to get rid of princesses. Typically, the princess archetype goes hand in hand with ball gown dresses, a prince charming, etc.; however, princesses’ womanly figures, outfits, as well as their storylines, have begun to change. The author of “The Evolution of Disney Princesses”, Jo Bradley,...
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...media engage in stereotyping, misleading representations concerning members from diverse cultural groups are confirmed. In this essay, a broad range of texts will be used to examine the ways in which the mass media construct and reinforce social stereotypes around gender, ethnicity and age, as well as how the media shape one's imagination though direct images. It cannot be doubted that the media profoundly influence people's attitudes and outlooks. They convey a whole variety of information which individuals would not otherwise acquire. Newspapers, books, television, radio, films, recorded music and popular magazines (Giddens, 1989, p.79) bring individuals into close contact with experiences of which we 'would otherwise have little awareness' (Giddens, 1989, p. 79). There are very few societies, in current times, even among the more traditional cultures, which remain completely untouched by the mass media. Electronic communication is accessible even to those who are completely illiterate, or in isolated areas of the world. According to Juredini and Poole, gender usually refers to the 'behavioural and attitudinal characteristics' as well as roles that are learned and derived from a 'particular cultural milieu' (2000, p.171). An important source of gender information in a consumer society is television. Despite some notable exceptions, for example 'Sesame Street', most television shows continue to portray males and females in stereotypical gender roles (Sigorelli, 1990, citied in...
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...paid different amounts. While this can, and does, happen, blatant discrimination is a small part of the overall gap. The gender wage gap is multi-faceted, involving various stages of women’s careers, salaries, and advancement opportunities. However, a very large part of the gap starts with a simple truth about men and women: women have children. Therein lies the difference that starts women on a path to differences in...
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