Question

Consider the TV shows you watched as kids. What was the gender of the characters? What did each character do? What role did the characters have in the show? Were there more male or female characters? How prominent are female roles? Are female characters positive or negative? Are there differences among the various types of shows you watched? What messages do these shows send to girls and to boys?

Answer 1

I am a big big fan of Batman series. As a kid I used to watch every episode of this series. Main character is Bruce who is a bussinessman of Gotham city. He and his caretaker named as Alfred save the city from bad elements of society with the help of technology and their extream courage.

In this series most of the charachters are male. It have a villain named as joker who is also a male. Females are not having effective role in this superhero series.

Compared to this series even if we look at other superhero series then also we will realise that number of female characters in this particular area is very few. We can easily count them on fingers. All these show male dominant minds in our society.

A stereotype is there that females are soft natured and they don't seem suitable for fighting against evil. Popularity of male superheroes is more as compared to females.

Time is changing with significant speed and now people have started taking interests in character rather than gender. More successful women in various areas are adding flavour to this, but even after all these developements there is a long way to go.