Sex‐role portrayals of selected female television characters

While traditional television characters have typically been portrayed as sex-stereotyped, recently, more unstereotyped characters have been introduced into programming. We proposed that college-age participants, when presented with prime-time characters that have been prerated as examples of stereotyped and unstereotyped portrayals, would perceive the differential stereotypes as represented by ratings of sex-typed traits. Attractiveness and liking ratings were also taken for each of the characters, and sex differences in all of these ratings were explored. Results showed that male and female television characters were rated at the male and female extremes of the scale. Means for the unstereotyped characters were between the masculine and feminine extremes of the stereotyped character means. There was a significant sex of rater × trait interaction, whereby female participants rated the characters as more feminine on the female-valued traits than did male participants. Unstereotyped characters were considered more attractive and more liked than stereotyped characters. Implications for modeling of television characters are discussed.

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Geschlechtsspezifische Ideale im Wandel der Zeit

Zeitschrift für Differentielle und Diagnostische Psychologie ◽

10.1024/0170-1789.25.3.165 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 165-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Karl Ralf Swazina ◽

Karin Waldherr ◽

Kathrin Maier

Keyword(s):

Sex Role ◽

Bem Sex Role Inventory

Zusammenfassung: Ausgehend von vorhandenen Hypothesen einer zeitlichen Veränderung der Sozialen Erwünschtheit der femininen und maskulinen Eigenschaften des Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974 ; Schneider-Düker, 1978 ) für Frauen und Männer wurden im Zuge einer ersten Datenerhebung insgesamt 90 Eigenschaften von 42 Studierenden der Universität Wien eingestuft. Für acht feminine und fünf maskuline Eigenschaften des BSRI wurde eine Abweichung zwischen den neu erhobenen Werten und jenen von 1978 festgestellt. Zusätzlich ergaben sich aus diesem und einem zweiten Datensatz für einige weitere Eigenschaften Hinweise eines zeitlichen Wandels der Sozialen Erwünschtheit. Diese wurden im Zuge einer zusätzlichen Datenerhebung überprüft, wobei jene 90 Eigenschaften nun von 314 StudentInnen eingestuft wurden. Die Ergebnisse der ersten Erhebung konnten bestätigt sowie für weitere sieben maskuline und vier feminine Eigenschaften ein Anstieg der Sozialen Erwünschtheit für das jeweils andere Geschlecht festgestellt werden. Die erfassten Unterschiede zu früheren Normen werden im Sinne einer veränderten Auffassung über weibliche und männliche Ideale in unserer Gesellschaft interpretiert.

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The Relationship of Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Gender-Role Orientation in Four National Samples

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001.28.2.78 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 78-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Stefan J. Troche ◽

Nina Weber ◽

Karina Hennigs ◽

Carl-René Andresen ◽

Thomas H. Rammsayer

Keyword(s):

Gender Role ◽

Sex Role ◽

Role Orientation ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Gender Role Orientation ◽

Left Hand ◽

Fourth Finger ◽

And Gender ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. The ratio of second to fourth finger length (2D:4D ratio) is sexually dimorphic with women having higher 2D:4D ratio than men. Recent studies on the relationship between 2D:4D ratio and gender-role orientation yielded rather inconsistent results. The present study examines the moderating influence of nationality on the relationship between 2D:4D ratio and gender-role orientation, as assessed with the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, as a possible explanation for these inconsistencies. Participants were 176 female and 171 male university students from Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden ranging in age from 19 to 32 years. Left-hand 2D:4D ratio was significantly lower in men than in women across all nationalities. Right-hand 2D:4D ratio differed only between Swedish males and females indicating that nationality might effectively moderate the sexual dimorphism of 2D:4D ratio. In none of the examined nationalities was a reliable relationship between 2D:4D ratio and gender-role orientation obtained. Thus, the assumption of nationality-related between-population differences does not seem to account for the inconsistent results on the relationship between 2D:4D ratio and gender-role orientation.

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