Feminism in the Media

Feminism in Media

History of Feminism

In 1918, the first Women's Conference was held in Moscow and during the 1920s, under Lenin, the Soviet Government promoted equal rights. Marriage, divorce and contraception were made simple. However, in the 1940s, Stalin went back to the 'norm'. Divorce was then made difficult, abortion was banned and contraception restricted. In China, the 1949 Revolution brought formal equality for women and men. But in the USSR, women did the housework as well as their jobs.

During the 1960s, feminism came back again in the USA as part of a radical culture that included Civil Rights and sexual liberation. Feminist groups campaigned on issues such as childcare, health, education and abortion. In Europe, Canada and Australasia, new ideas and laws were changing society. In 1975, the United Nations announced an International Decade for Women. Revolutionary movements in Africa were including women's liberation. In Europe the peace movement became the focus for feminist activism. Feminism then boomed in America after the restoration of democracy during the 1980s.

Feminism symbol

Feminism In Media
Feminists believe that the media portray women as cleaners or housewives providing comfort and support for men or sometimes even a man’s sex object to service men’s sexual needs etc.. Feminists believe that this gender representation is an aspect of patriarchy. This is a social system where the male is the primary authority figure to social organizations. Feminists believe that the media suggests that these roles are normal and so, feminists see this as an example of patriarchal ideology- a set of beliefs which supports male dominance.

The Male Gaze
Laura Mulveys' essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema 'expands on this conception of the passive role of women in cinema to argue that film provides visual pleasure through scopophilia and identification with the on-screen male actor. Scopophilia is when sexual pleasure is gained through by looking at nude bodies, most often without their knowledge. For feminists, the male gaze can be thought of in three ways:

1. How men look at women
2. How women look at themselves
3. How women look at other women