Social Influences: Media, Gender And Identity
Social Influences. Social influences, such as mass media, religious and educational institutions, help enforce traditional gender roles initially taught in the family home (Stromberg & Harkess 137-45). In "Media, Gender And Identity: An Introduction," sociologist and media theorist David Gauntlett indicates that "Although women are more equally represented in media today, women are still less likely than men to be in a leading role. Women also continue to be portrayed as victims who are constantly needing to get saved by males" (83). Furthermore, systems of patriarchy are the central idea in most religious institutions, which teach that women are inferior as a group and that they have no rights beyond those granted by the male-dominated establishment