Women On Television
The role of women in television has had
an impact important on humanity and on
life in America. The image of women in
situation comedies has changed. Women in
our society have played many roles.
During this period from the decades of the
1950's through the 1990's,
women started getting their own jobs and got better
schooling. The roles of
women as portrayed in popular American television have
changed from that of
humiliating, degrading images to those of dignity and
respect. "The
adolescent girl is confronted by a different set of
gender-role expectations
and different socialization pressures (than boys). In
keeping with the
traditional expectation that a female's ultimate goals are
marriage and
motherhood rather than a career and independence, the prime
objective seems
to be heterosexual attractiveness and popularity. As a result,
the adolescent
girl's school experience may push her toward learning domestic or
secretarial
jobs instead of orienting her toward a profession and the message
that she
gets - from peers and parents - is that academic achievement may
lessen- her
femininity" (source). In the series, the "Brady
Bunch", Carol Brady, cast
as the role of the mother, is portrayed as a
person who dedicates her entire
life to her family. Her activities are family
centered. It does not appear
that she has employable skills, or that she would
choose to go into the work
world. She is not portrayed as a decision- maker but
waits until her husband
comes home to make decisions. Alice, a very strong
"maid" who virtually makes
decisions about running the household,
supports her management of her home. A
great emphasis is placed on Mrs. Brady's
physical attractiveness. "The
American women of today can never be too thin
or too pretty. In most cases
thin equates beauty, so the present ideal is a
thin, fit, radiantly healthy,
young woman. In magazines stuffed with models and
advertisements, billboards
on the highway, and actresses on TV, the message of
what women should look
like is everywhere. The inescapable presence of these
images in effect shapes
the image of women today" (Bowman, 1). It is very
true that even to this day
there are still a set of "rules" for how to
be a girl or feminine. Wearing
dresses and makeup and playing with dolls instead
of cars, because they are
considered "masculine" are just a few
examples. On almost any television show
there is always the good little wife
that waits until the husband comes home
to make any important decisions. A
researcher on the subject of women in
today's society states in his article
titled Women's Roles, "Depending on a
woman's role or class in society, she
could be restricted or praised by her
words and actions. As in almost any
civilization, money brings certain
advantages, the greatest one of the
Renaissance times being education.
The upper class women were taught that
silence towards and obligation to
their husbands was considered proper.
Eloquence was equivalent to silence
in the male frame of mind. Keeping with the
theme of male dominance, it has
been said that women's attempt to rule is an act
of treason" (1). If you just
sit down for a few minutes and really pay
attention to the show you are
watching on television, you will notice what I am
talking about when I say
that women have certain "roles" that they are
expected to play. On the
typical show, you will notice there is always the wife
that sits at home and
takes care of the children while the husband goes out to
work to earn the
money for the family. The wife is expected to sit at home and
fold laundry
while watching a soap opera, or to do the grocery shopping. There
are a few
shows, however, that are a little different. I think a good example of
one of
the not quite so normal shows is the series "Home Improvement".
In
contrast to the series the "Brady Bunch", the series "Home
Improvement"
has a mother, Jill, who is not only strong, but also makes all
the decisions
of the household. Not only is she a full time mother, but she is
also going
to college to get a degree. Between raising a family and doing school
work
there is not a lot of time for her to "fuss" with herself about
hair or
makeup. She looks like a real mother. Not someone who is in a salon 24
hours
a day! Compared to Mrs. Brady's portrayal, the mother is a powerful and
hard
working mother for both her boys and her husband. She portrays the
major
influence that working women have on American society today. Many
things have
changed in society, even since 1980. Women are getting out and
getting college
degrees, going to work, and not to do secretarial jobs. There
are many women
that are doing so called "men's jobs", and they aren't afraid
to do
it! Girls are no longer taught to "stay at home, to sit and play
quietly,
while boys are taught to go out, take things apart, put them
together and move
things around" (Bruning, 3). The focus on women on
television has changed
since the 1950's, giving women more powerful images.
Today, in the 1990's, women
have shown that their standards are for
excellence in both work and the home.
Educational background is more
important than sex appeal. Indeed, the image of
women is portrayed in
television since the 1950's has improved to one of dignity
and respect.