Social Problems: Sexism and Gender Inequality cont'

1
Social Problems Sexism and Gender Inequality
(cont.)

• The Problems of Violence
• and Media

2
Main problems

• Violence against women
• Date rape
• Sexual harassment
• Stalking
• Self esteem problems
• Body image problems for both women and men
• Anorexia, bulimia, palstic surgery
  addiction,muscle dysmorphia

3
Canadas Global Standing on Gender Equality

• According to the World Economic Forum, Canada has
  slipped down to 18th spot out of 128 countries in
  terms of gender equality
• Ranked according to educational attainment,
  health and survival, economic participation and
  opportunity, political empowerment.
• Top ten Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, New
  Zealand, the Philippines, Germany, Denmark,
  Ireland, and Spain
• U.S. in 31st place (down 8 spots since last year)
• For more, see the 2007 Gender Gap Index

4
Gender Inequality and Violence

• Text says men more at risk of physical assault
  (look at hockey!), women of sexual assault
• Sexual assault 83 of victims female, 98 of
  perpetrators male
• Women 18-24 24 victims of date rape, 12
  marital violence
• Women more likely to be killed by partner than
  are men
• NFB Video Without Fear Produced by the Canadian
  Panel on Violence Against Women

5
Media and Gender Inequality

• Gender inequality, subordinate status, and media
  stereotypes lead to lower self esteem, higher
  depression, anxiety and stress related problems
  for women
• Emphasis on female body by media also leads to
  disorders like anorexia and bulimia
• However, also becoming a growing problem for men.
• One source of inequality lies in the gendered
  stereotypes in media

6
Gender Stereotypes

• Gender stereotypes have not changed much over
  past decades
• Sandra Bem (1974) had people rate, on a 7-point
  scale, 20 masculine, feminine and gender neutral
  adjectives
• Constructed a sex-role inventory
• Could be used to describe people as sex-typed
  or androgynous

7
Stereotypes (cont.)

• Individuals who are gender schematic will be
  more aware of people who deviate from socially
  constructed gender role
• Are also more likely to treat people according to
  their sex
• Research (i.e. Griffin and Babbit, 1988) shows
  that women tend to be more flexible about gender
  roles than men
• Not much change otherwise

8
Gender Traits (BSRI, Bem, 1974)
9
Women and Media

• Our media are full of sexualized images of women
  and womens body parts
• Jean Kilbourne observes that womens bodies are
  often dismembered into legs, breasts or thighs,
  reinforcing the message that women are objects
  rather than whole human beings
• Dehumanization leads to social problems like
  violence and sexual assault or psychological
  problems for women

10
Women (cont.)

• The diet industry alone 100 billion (U.S.) a
  year.
• By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and
  maintain, the cosmetic and diet product
  industries are assured of growth and profits
  (Robin Gerber)
• Research shows exposure to images of thin, young,
  air-brushed female bodies linked to depression,
  loss of self-esteem and development of unhealthy
  eating habits in women and girls
• Redbook Cover, July, 2007 of Faith Hill
  http//cache.jezebel.com/assets/resources/2007/07/
  redbookcoveranime0707.gif

11
Eating Disorders in Canada(Womens Health
Surveillance Reporthttp//www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pub
licat/whsr-rssf/chap_20_e.html)

• An abnormal perception of one's body
• Becomes an obsessive preoccupation with food and
  weight that may lead to health-risk behaviours.
• Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, etc.
• 3 of women will be affected by an eating
  disorder during their lifetime
• Precipitated by risk factors like negative body
  image, low self-esteem, fear of becoming fat,
  chronic dieting, and social pressures to be thin
• More women (10.7/100,000) than men (anorexia 95
  of hospitalized cases, bulimia 90)

12
Eating (cont.)

• Adolescents at highest risk
• 35 of girls 6-12 yrs. have been on at least one
  diet
• 50-70 of normal weight girls think they are fat
  (http//www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/ster
  eotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm)
• Women with eating disorders also have highest
  prevalence of depression
• Video clip from The Strength to Resist Media's
  Impact on Women and Girls
• (http//www.cambridgedocumentaryfilms.org/media/vi
  deo20clips/DV20Stream2.mov)

13
Plastic Surgery Addiction

• a relatively new and little studied addiction
• Includes rhinoplasty, liposuction, cheek
  implants, chin implants, breast implants, face
  lifts, or even skin-color changes
• See Cindy Jackson (the Human Barbie) who had 9
  operations on her web page at http//www.cindyjac
  kson.com/

14
Men and Media

• Unrealistic images of the male body also having
  negative impact on men
• Muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia (the G.I. Joe
  look)
• Men become obsessed not muscular enough
• Compulsive exercising, use of steroids
• Altered diets protein shakes and bars, six
  meals/day etc.
• Serious health effects like depression, or hair
  loss, acne, sexual problems from steroid use
• Increase in men having implant surgery
• Now, new trend The Thin Man (Toronto Star
  http//www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM
  .20070727.wskinny0728/BNStory/lifeStyle/home)

15
Men (cont.)