This article was incredibly hard to get through, mainly because it was filled with facts, numbers, and charts. I felt like if I was reading the results of a science experiment rather than an analysis of American culture. However, once I was able to comprehend exactly what all these numbers meant they presented some pretty interesting results. Something I found particularly interesting was that the marital status of a female character in a television program was an important predictor of that woman's employment. On the other hand, the marital status of a male character did not restrict his employment in any way. According to the study, "more single and formerly married were portrayed as working outside the home than married women" (Signorielli, 14). However, marital status was not a strong predictor of work status for men. In addition, these single and formerly married women have gender-neutral or traditionally male jobs. You might be thinking why these facts are even relevant to our culture. But the truth is it is important that we understand what the television is portraying to us as a society. Television in today's society has replaced books and storied told around the campfire. Television is considered the new "storyteller." Through these stories, television is raising our children, just as parents and peers do, and teaching them "common world views, common values, and common perspectives on how men and women should think, behave, and act" (Signorielli, 4). This should be a major concern to our society because the images portrayed in television often do not reflect the reality.
Signorielli, Nancy and Susan Kahlenberg. (2001). "Television's World of Work in the Ninties." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 45:1, p. 4-21.
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