Differences in formal aspects of television commercials aimed at boys and those aimed at girls were investigated. Formal attributes were defined as production techniques such as action, pace, visual effects, dialogue and narration, background music and sound effects. Two aspects of content were also examined: aggressive behavior and the gender of…

Examines how females and minorities are represented on children's Saturday morning television commercials, focusing on how often they are present, settings in which they are portrayed, and types of White-minority interactions. Finds that more women and minorities are present in advertisements than earlier studies indicated, but that White males…

Investigates the image of the contemporary American woman as currently presented on television through viewing approximately 34 hours of programing and recording the following characteristics: regularity of character, occupations of characters, general demographics, and themes and topics discussed. (CWM)

This paper discusses some of the ways in which the commitment of the television series Cagney and Lacey to the examination of often controversial social issues from liberal or progressive standpoints--especially issues associated with the women's movement--is worked through in narrative practice. The origins and development of the series are…

This special issue brings together an editorial, six articles, and three book reviews that focus on the relationship between television and the female audience. The articles are: (1) "Installing the Television Set: Popular Discourses on Television and Domestic Space, 1948-1955" (Lynn Spigel); (2) "The Spectacularization of Everyday Life: Recycling…

This longitudinal study of ethnicity, sex, and role significance as it relates to both was designed to determine whether gains made by nonwhite minorities have been consolidated, improved upon or declined; to determine trends for women; and to qualify changes in terms of numbers, proportions, and/or role significance. (JEG)

Reports results of a survey in which 200 teenaged girls indicated which television woman was like them, which one they would like to be like, which would be the best friend and the best mother, which women exhibited the most control over their situations, and which female television star most resembled the "typical American female." (GT)

This study sought to relate the dynamic patterns of older adults to their use of television within the whole range of activity patterns available to them. Central to the study was an intensive interview study of a select sample (32 women and 18 men in a Columbus, Ohio, senior citizen community); this precluded derivative generalizations for the…

Suburban middle class American situation comedies of the 1950s and 1960s idealized the postwar family ensemble with its unproblematic achievement of quality family life. The homemaker as portrayed in these sitcoms was positioned at the center of the postwar consumer economy by the consumer product industry, which built its economy on defining the…

In recent years, television has received increasing criticism for its portrayal of the female as the passive mother, homemaker, or secretary. Recent content analysis studies of North American television broadcasting support the assertion that women have been stereotyped as second class citizens in a man's world; seldom are they presented as…

Reviews research on the portrayal of gender and occupation on prime-time television and describes a study that focused on representation and patterns of activity of male and female characters across the contextual variables of industry, occupational role, hierarchical position, plot function, genre, and dramatic tone. (36 references) (LRW)

Providing information and activities designed to dispel sex role socialization, myths, and stereotypes as bases for prejudiced views, this teaching guide focuses on the American woman's image and diverse roles in our society. It is part of the Louisville Area Ethnic Heritage Studies Project described in ED 150 043. The project materials are…

Investigates the viewer perceptions of female and male television characters as a result of viewer sex and sex role orientation, based on the responses of 677 young adults to the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ). Viewer gender had an impact on the rating of female characters. (FMW)