Written task introduction

Gender Stereotypes:

As media becomes an ever more powerful force in shaping the world's perception of itself, media influence becomes increasingly difficult.  People organize their knowledge about the world around them by simplifying received information. One of the most important types of schemes used for orientation in the social environment are the stereotypes, representing the opinions among members of a certain group about the other groups. Difficulties in differentiating gender roles in the modern societies can be a perfect example of the negative social effects of using stereotypes. Through the ages men have been considered to be financial providers, career-focused, and independent, whereas women have been shown as low-position workers, loving wives and mothers, responsible for raising children and doing housework. This is where the 3 different advertisements above are selected as examples because each of these ads represents how women are treated as slaves to the vacuum cleaner, washing detergent, and cleaning equipment thus mocking men's inability to work a washing machine. Nowadays a family model is based rather on a partnership than on the women since now they have more rights and possibilities. Although females and males are still not equal, the differences between genders are not so vast anymore. Nevertheless, the mass media still use gender stereotypes that are well known to everyone and help the viewers to understand the content of the message behind every ad.