Module 2: Individualism in the Digital Age, Part 2

Gender role norms have existed in history since as far back as we can remember. There have always been traditional codes of masculinity or femininity that have existed, and our current time is no exception. The formation of gender norms has evolved from social norms and has become a part of society in more recent times via magazines, the Internet, and television, all of which affect how males and females are expected to behave.

According to a recent article called Development of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory, by James R. Mahalik, et al. gender norms are so prevalent that they help to form the identity of individuals. Mahalik’s study aimed to identify some of the feminine norms in the dominant culture of US. Mahalik concluded that these norms included women being nice in relationships, thinness, modesty, maintaining the home, caring for children, investing in romantic relationships, sexual fidelity, and investing in appearance. Most women can agree that these things are expected of them in society through various sources. In a similar study by James R. Mahalik, et al. in a an article called Development of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, some of the masculine norms in dominant US culture were identified. They included wining, emotional control, risk-taking, violence, dominance, playboy, self-reliance, primacy of work, power over women, disdain for homosexuals, and pursuit of status.

The first and most prevalent source of these norms according to Mahalik are “social agents such as parents, teachers, peers, and the media teach women and men the rules and standards of femininity and masculinity.” In fact the learning of gender norms occurs as early as five years of age where, “children have already developed clearly defined notions of what constitutes appropriate behavior for men and women.”

Another source that has shaped the gender norms for men and women is the media. In television and magazines, women are expected to behave a certain way that makes them more feminine. According to an article by Dana Hinders called Gender Norms in Women’s Magazines, “women’s magazines consistently promote stereotypical gender behavior…women’s magazines promote the idea that woman’s role is to be a wife and mother.” Furthermore, this problem exists in teenage girl’s magazines too, such as Seventeen. Hinders says that according to a study, these magazines “encouraged readers to present themselves as sexually desirable, develop the skills of sexual therapy to enhance men’s sexual pleasure and performance, and become communication teachers to help men become better relational partners.” However, this problem of traditional gender norms surfacing in media outlets exists for men too, particularly younger men. According to a journal article from Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, gender norms for men come from “television, movies, magazines, and toys” and have a lot to do with body image, which affects the self-esteem of many younger men. For example, “the ideal heightened muscularity and very low body fat” is a look that is common in men’s magazines and even in toys for boys such as the GI Joe toy which has “gotten progressively more muscular” with time.

With Internet becoming as popular as it has, there has been an increase in websites that are solely for the purpose of social interaction between males and females. Some of these websites even ask people to post pictures for others to rate on a numerical scare (ratedesi.com, hotornot.com). According to an online article by Marj Kibby called "Babes on the Web. Sex, Identity and the Home Page" women “predominantly depict themselves through shots of their breasts framing their clothed, semi-nude or naked torso from shoulder to waist.” Furthermore, studies of social networks such as MySpace and Facebook have shown that these forums are a valuable way to look at the way males and females represent themselves and provide insight into what this suggests about their gender identities.

Lastly, television has played a huge part in the formation of gender norms for young adults. Music videos often depict women in a stereotypical female role and men in a masculine role. In fact, sometimes lyrics to songs are playing into the formation of gender norms. For example, in a Britney Spears song called I Was Born to Make You Happy, Britney chants: “I don’t know how to live without your love/ I was born to make you happy.” Ignoring the fact that Britney is scantily clad and the male model in the video has a chiseled six-pack, the lyrics alone are packed with gender stereotypes. What is even more troublesome is that this song is directed at an audience of teenage girls. It’s no wonder that traditional gender norms are still so prevalent in our society when they are fed to kids from such a young age.

Gender norms do still exist today and become incorporated as a part of social norms in a child’s life at a very early age through teachers, parents, and other figures of authority around them. As time goes by, society and the media, particularly through magazines, Internet, and television, further emphasize these norms. There needs to be drastic reforms of our media and what we allow children to watch, what we allow them to have access to, and what we let them read. But more importantly, we as a society need to change our views on what is expected. Unless this happens, we can’t expect change.


Works Cited

Dana, Hinders. "Gender Norms In Women's Magazines." Associated Content. 15 Nov. 2005. 28 Oct. 2008 .

Kibby, Marj. "Babes on the Web. Sex, Identity and the Home Page." Popular Culture: Gender. 9 Nov. 1997. Washington State University. 28 Oct. 2008 .

Mahalik, James R., Benjamin D. Locke, Larry H. Ludlow, Matthew A. Diemer, Ryan P. J. Scott, Michael Gottfried, and Gary Freitas. "Development of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory." Psychology of Men & Masculinity 4 (2003).

Mahalik, James R., Elisabeth B. Morray, Aimee Coonerty-Femiano, Larry H. Ludlow, Suzanne M. Slattery, and Andrew Smiler. "Development of the Conformity to Feminine." Sex Roles 52 (2005).