Women on Television: A Discussion with Nancy Signorielli

Prof. Nancy Signorielli of the University of Delaware discussed issues of underrepresentation of women and minorities in television | Photo by Lisa Dukart

On Monday afternoon, Nancy Signorielli, Professor and Director of the Graduate Program at the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware, spoke to a group of BU students regarding the representation of women on television over the past 50 years.  Signorielli, a pioneer in research regarding gender on television, spoke about media stereotyping of characters ranging from women to racial minorities.  The underrepresentation of women and minorities deviates from reality and perpetuates stereotypes about these particular groups which can ultimately be damaging.

Signorielli began her research on gender in television, specifically the portrayal of women on television, in 1967.  An avid fan of TV growing up, it was natural for her to concentrate on these issues.  Signorielli said of her childhood, “I was a media dependent child of the 50s”.  Some of the shows and movies she recalls from her childhood include “My Little Margie”, “Father Knows Best”, “One Touch of Venus”, and the “Dick van Dyke Show”.  She also recalls watching “Julia”, a show which featured a black woman in a lead role.  All of these shows and movies have a similar thread:  they feature women in leading roles, but focus largely on men.  Not only do they focus on men, but they have a largely male cast, and the women all have stereotypical roles.

Recent studies have shown that the average American watches approximately 35 hours of television per week and that the majority of individuals multitask while watching TV, especially by going on the internet, reported Signorielli.  With roughly 3,000 primetime shows available and some 12,000 leading characters, there are plenty of instances for stereotyping and patterning of behaviors.  As Signorielli put it, “we all learn from television.”

The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of many TV shows which underrepresented women and held them to traditional roles. | Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

While TV shows have been moving towards more gender equality in recent years, there remains a consistent 60-40 split of men to women in programs since the 1990s.  Even shows that focus largely on women, such as “Golden Girls,” or, more recently, “Ally McBeal” and “Felicity,” all focus on women within traditional roles.  While some of these women have professional jobs, they are still in search of husbands, bowing to heteronormative culture.

In addition to the underrepresentation of women in television, Signorielli drew attention to the misrepresentation of minority cultures, specifically black characters.  Most minority figures were found in black sitcoms, and a recent decrease in those sitcoms being aired has led to fewer minorities on TV.  Signorielli also acknowledged that the decrease in sitcoms is in part due to cost—it is easier and far less expensive to stage a reality show than it is to write a show.  She also recognized that children and the elderly are also marginalized on TV.

Age plays an important part in producing a show, so not only are the very young and the elderly excluded from most TV, but women are often presented as younger than their male counterparts.  Signorielli said that there is typically a 4-year age gap between men and women in television shows.  Additionally, women are more often married characters, while men are frequently seen as single, holding glamorous, high-paying jobs.  Lastly, Signorielli pointed out the change in violence in TV programming.  Though the number of violent acts hasn’t changed much—5 acts of violence per program in 1967 compared with 7 in modern television—women’s role in violence has changed significantly.  While women in the past were not frequently involved in violent actions on TV, in the past decade women on television are equally likely to inflict violence as they are to be the victim of violence.

Television has changed significantly over the past 50 years, but the statistics aren’t necessarily positive.  While some women in television have become empowered, many others remain in stereotypical roles.  As Signorielli stated, “watching television is like eating potato chips—you can’t just watch one [episode].” On a weekly basis, Americans watch 35 hours of TV, and during that time, take in these stereotyped images and constructs of what women, and men, are supposed to be.  Maybe we should all think more about what we’re watching on TV– and what we’re taking away.

About Lisa Dukart

Lisa is a double major in English and Philosophy and is minoring in Women's Studies. She will be graduating from BU in 2011.

View all posts by Lisa Dukart →

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