The image of the female body presented by the media in most cases is one that is unattainable. In movies, magazines, music videos and advertisements women are shown ideal body weights that in most cases meet the physical criteria for anorexia or bulimia. By presenting these images, we tell women that they can only be sexy and acquire what they want if they meet these physical requirements.
Are clothing manufacturers helping to turn young girls into sex objects? A study led by Professor of Psychology at Kenyon College, Dr. Sarah Murnen, found that 30 percent of young girls’ clothing available online in the United States is sexualized. The study was published in Springer’s journal, Sex Roles, and raises questions on the implications of how girls evaluate themselves if they are being identified as sex objects at an early age.
The infographic below gives a historical perspective of the gender wage gap through some great statistics and visuals. It shows the median annual earnings since 1960, potential causes of this disparity, information on the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and more. Also, according a recent Wall Street Journal study shown on the infographic, the gap is beginning to favor women.
A new study by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC) found that when it comes to movies, women are seen rather than heard.
A new study presented at the Royal Economic Society’s 2011 annual conference says the gender pay gap could be a result of boys being more competitive than girls. The study found that girls often choose not to compete, even if they are confident they will win.
We are still struggling to understand why a pay gap still exists between men and women — but research by economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Linda Babcock, reveals some of this difference occurs from women simply not asking.
New research by Crystal at The Achilles Effect looked at vocabulary used in television commercials for children’s toys. She found that the most commonly used words reinforced gender stereotypes. After analyzing 658 words from 27 commercials for boy’s toys and 432 words from 32 commercials for girl’s toys, Crystal was able to create a word cloud showing the most commonly used words in these TV adverts.
Psychological research has consistently shown that women feel unhappy with their body after looking at images of thin, idealized models, which are typically represented in the media. However, today’s consumer culture and media promote not only the ideal of perfect beauty, but also that of the material affluent lifestyle, both of which are commonly depicted together, and highlight the benefits of beauty and of owning material goods to one’s personal success and fame.
Exposure to attractive, aggressive, female leads in films affects how men and women think about who women ought to be in the real world. Women in particular have high standards for other women, and expect them to be both stereotypically feminine and masculine i.e. beautiful and aggressive rather than beautiful and passive.
Sexual harassment may have become so commonplace for women that they have built up resistance to harassing behavior they consider merely “bothersome,” suggests a provocative new study by Michigan State University researchers.
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