Tv's Gender Roles

Does television have an impact on people’s everyday lives, yes television has an impact on people’s everyday lives because it displays certain social expectations like gender roles for men and women. For example, in the 1950’s, TV shows depicted men as breadwinners and women as homemakers. Whereas today, many contemporary TV shows challenge conventional gender roles. The social expectations of gender roles led to the “perfect” family structure in real life and society used television to represent the structure during time period. In addition, the family structure formulated the ideal wife for the 1950’s and contemporary times, which plays a huge role when it comes to the economy because consuming products imply for a stable life. An analytical
It consist of family time, the true meaning of Christmas and consumerism. In 1950’s society used Television to stress the idea of Christmas shopping. For example, in the episode “A Very Merry Christmas” from The Donna Reed Show, it illustrates the consumer anxieties that people had during Christmas time. Donna feels the need to give the people around her gifts so she gives them fruit cake. Plus, her husband asks her to buy a patient a gift on Christmas day and the store is insanely crowed by women trying to buy gifts. The episode shows the social anxieties of consumerism during that time period which are similar to todays. During this time, women are highly targeted by advertisements because women do the shopping so they are the most valuable to the economy. Furthermore, society used TV shows like The Donna Reed Show to present the typical middle suburban family spending Christmas together and spreading the Christmas spirit by giving back. As a result, this episode demonstrates how society celebrated Christmas in the 1950’s and most of these traditions moved down to contemporary
In the 21st century, women must have a career and job to support a family compared to the 1950’s when women had the choice to be a stay at home mother or have a career. Spigel states, “Like Donna Reed, who sacrificed her nursing career for life with Dr. Alex Stone […]” (Spigel 224), the author is indicating that most women during the 1950’s decided to be a homemaker because that was what society expected of them. Television emphasizes and values the role of the ideal wife and a homemaker. Furthermore, The Donna Reed Show illustrated wives to be marginal at home and central to the economy. Haralovich states, “In her value to the economy, the homemaker was at once central and marginal” (Haralovich 70). Basically, women’s labor in the home was highly valued and was given social satisfaction by consuming products to live the suburban American dream. However, women roles from today have changed due to the shift in gender roles in the American society. The “Study Date” episode of Good Luck Charlie is a perfect illustration of an ideal wife and women in today’s society. For example, Amy has to work, take care of her family, by cooking and cleaning. There is now a huge pressure for women to go to college, get a career, and to get married and raise a family. Some women now are breadwinners and some men are stay at home dads. Due to economic pressures from society, both spouses have to work to maintain