Media and Gender Socialization

The media is widely regarded as influencing how people perceive the world around them through the images and messages it produces. Gender scholars argue that the media is complicit in promoting a gendered society by reinforcing hegemonic messages that inform societal understandings of what it means to be a woman and a man. Social learning theorists have demonstrated that from an early age the media plays a key role in socializing individuals into gendered roles. Although media representations are slowly changing, stereotypical constructions of femininity and masculinity persist in diverse media – from children's books, television, film, and advertisements to online media and video games.