Gender and Social-Variable Representation
How the media represents gender and how audiences read it: two views of gender, essentialist and social constructionalist, and the social variables of age, class, gender and ethnicity that shape interpretation.
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Representing gender
Representation is how the media presents people, places and ideas. Producers select and construct these images, so a representation is never a simple window on the world. This module looks at how gender is represented, at two different views of gender, and at how the social variables of an audience shape the way they read a media text.
Words for representation
Learn these four terms before you study how gender is represented.
Two views of gender
People explain gender differences in two very different ways.
Reinforce or challenge?
To reach the top grades, judge whether a media representation reinforces or challenges a stereotype, and remember that audiences decode it differently depending on their age, class, gender and ethnicity.
Match the term to its meaning
- representation
- stereotype
- essentialist view
- social constructionalist view
- how the media presents people, places and ideas
- a simplified, often exaggerated view of a group
- the idea that gender differences are natural and inborn
- the idea that gender differences are shaped by society
Match the social variable to its meaning
- age
- class
- gender
- ethnicity
- how young or old the audience is
- the social and economic group of the audience
- whether the audience is male or female
- the cultural or ethnic background of the audience
What is representation?
What is representation in media studies?
- How the media presents people, places and ideas.
- The number of people watching a show.
- The price of a cinema ticket.
- The budget for making a film.
Social variables
Select the TWO social variables that affect how audiences interpret media.
- Age.
- Ethnicity.
- The weather.
- The camera brand.
Order the process
Put the steps in order to show how a representation reaches an audience.
- A media producer selects what to show
- They construct a representation of a group
- The audience decodes the representation
- Their social variables shape how they read it
Summarise the ideas
A media _____ is how the media presents a group of people. A _____ is a simplified view of a group. The _____ view says gender is natural and inborn, while the social _____ view says it is shaped by society. Audiences decode media differently depending on social variables like age and _____.
Count the variables
How many social variables does the spec name for audience interpretation: age, class, gender and ethnicity?
Spot the two social variables
Tap the TWO social variables.
- age
- ethnicity
- the weather
- the film budget
- the cinema size
Which view of gender?
Decide which view of gender each statement shows.
- Gender differences are natural and something people are born with
- Gender roles are learned from society and can change
- Gender is decided by the price of a magazine
Analyse a representation
Choose a media text such as an advert or a television show and explain how it represents gender. Say whether it reinforces or challenges a stereotype, and how the audience might decode it.
- Describe how the text represents gender
- Explain whether it reinforces or challenges a stereotype
- Explain how social variables might shape the reading