Prime Time 8. Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks, Schulbuch

3 TV and advertising Reading: Television a) Read the text about television and gender roles, then choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for questions 1–5. Put a cross ( ✘ ) in the correct box. The first one (0) has been done for you. Television and gender roles – survey results 1 The number of women shown on TV is far smaller than the number of men shown. Men outnumber women in general TV drama by 3:1, and in children’s cartoons by 10:1. There are also more men than women in starring roles. Women are often shown on TV in “traditional” roles such as housewives, mothers, secretaries and nurses; men are shown as husbands and fathers, but also as athletes, celebrities and tycoons. “Good” women are presented as submissive, sensitive and domesticated; “bad” women are rebellious, independent and selfish. Women on TV tend to be younger than men, typically under 30. As far as ads go, with age men seem to gain authority, whilst women seem to disappear. The male hero tends to be physically strong, aggressive, independent, competitive and ambitious. Men are more likely to drive, drink and smoke more, do athletic things and make plans. Most war films promote violence as “natural” and heroic for males. Women in these films are typically mothers, chattels and whores. The soldiers are men of few words and heroic deeds. On TV men tend to be shown in close face shots whereas women tend to be seen in full body shots. Gays are largely invisible on TV. Even when gay men are portrayed, they are rarely shown enjoying happy lives and the central focus tends to be on the reaction of others as a “problem”. Voice-overs represent the programme makers’ interpretation of what is seen: these are the voices of authority. They are overwhelmingly male (up to 94%). There have been more female voice-overs in recent years, but mainly for food, household products and feminine care products. Girls tend to find a male newsreader more believable than a woman, whereas the newsreader’s sex does not seem to influence boys’ ideas of their believability. Men prefer to watch TV with full concentration, without interruption and in silence, and many women watch with less attention. Women prefer to watch and chat at the same time. Men are also more likely to plan an evening’s viewing than women are. Fathers are the ones referred to most often as controlling the selection of TV programmes on the main family TV set. Women prefer local rather than national news. They tend to reject “zany” comedy, whilst the men and teenagers tend to enjoy them. Men prefer “factual” programmes such as news, current affairs, documentaries and sport, whereas women prefer fictional programmes, romantic fiction in particular. Soaps in general have a predominantly female audience, and appeal to those who value the personal and domestic world. (Daniel Chandler, Television and Gender Roles , Aberystwyth University) 0 Which survey result is correct? a) More women are shown on TV than men. b) More men are shown on TV than women. c) There are as many men and women shown on TV. d) More children are shown on TV than men or women. ✘ 1 On TV, women often a) appear older than men. b) become more and more colourless the older they get. c) present themselves as independent and autonomous. d) tend to be better at sports than men. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 34 Gender issues Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv