Thanks to such programs, girls begin to accept male harassment and coercion to have sex as something normal.
Popular reality television shows usually emphasize traditional gender roles, values, and relationships between the sexes. Such programs broadcast messages to the viewers, according to which men always want sex, and for women, the main thing is appearance.
In the end, this negatively affects the picture of the world that young spectators form — they begin to perceive sexualized violence by men as the norm. This conclusion was made by psychologists from the University of Michigan (USA).
At the first stage of their study, the researchers interviewed 466 students who often watch various reality shows, sitcoms, as well as drama films and series on TV. Participants were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with statements like: «Guys are always ready for sex» and «Girls need to take care of their appearance more than guys.»
What turned out? The more reality TV fans the girls were, the more they supported traditional heterosexual gender roles. And fans of sitcoms turned out to have a freer view of this problem.
To understand the consequences of this relationship, the researchers recruited a group of 244 other female students to participate in the study. For a long time, they were regularly asked what TV programs they watch, how they feel about traditional relationships between the sexes, and how acceptable they consider sexualized aggression from men.
The results of the second stage of the study confirmed the conclusions drawn from the first stage.
The more girls watch reality shows, the more they support traditional gender roles. And those who maintain traditional relationships between the sexes tend to perceive the aggressive behavior of men against women — rude harassment, forced sex — as the norm.
In this case, the participants agreed with statements like: “It’s okay if a guy gets upset, offended, and angry if a girl gives him a turn” and “It’s okay if a guy paws a girl when she doesn’t give him.”
“Of course, reality shows are very exciting, but do not forget that this is still not reality. The participants passed the casting, the scenes were written, and the central conflict is designed to maintain the interest of the audience. We all know these simple scripts and can duplicate any of the characters.
A woman who is looking for a serious relationship or a man who is looking for sex, a woman who is vilified for her excessive sexuality or a man who is praised by everyone for exactly the same thing, a woman who achieves everything through submission or a man who does it through aggression , — said lead author of the study Lianna Papp.
It is very easy to see how these roles generate dramatic conflict. But thanks to their recognition, we do not have any questions, we perceive such a distribution of roles between men and women as completely natural. All this does not mean at all that you can not enjoy the reality show. It’s just that when watching such programs, you need to keep in mind the malicious messages that they broadcast to us.”
A source: