Gender

The use of Gender Stereotypes in the Media

 So why does the media use gender stereotypes? As human beings, we like to be able to easily define what something is and be able to have imminent impression of what something/someone is like, to 'put things into boxes'. This not only helps us to define others but also allows us to feel the ability to easily adapt to and fit in to groups and cliques in order to be accepted by our piers and society in general. This makes it easier for companies/manufacturers and advertisers to create a defined target audience with particular tastes and interests in order to market certain products to either gender. In young children's toys, these are often used to 'prepare' the consumers to take on the stereotypical conventions of their gender, eg. girl's toys often include tasks such as looking after synthetic children/dolls, practicing cooking etc. This has been occuring throughout human history and has led on to the development of the feminist and machist views.
 

"Women are nothing but machines for producing children." Napoleon Bonaparte

 There is also the fact that some characters in a film or TV show will have little screen time, meaning that the producers must quickly convey the personalities of certain characters through their appearance, speech and movements/gestures.