Gender inequality is a serious issue largely supported by cultural norms, media products, and beliefs that prevail in society. The documentary Miss Representation by Newsom (2011) focuses on the problems of sexism, women’s disempowerment, and the limited representation of female leaders in the United States media. My reaction to this movie was positive since I agree with its main idea, which emphasizes that the portrayal of women in cultural, economic, and political settings is often discouraging and harmful. In her documentary, Newsom (2011) raised the problem of expectations imposed on females and their appearance. Despite being more similar than different, people use extreme versions of masculinity and femininity to emphasize and increase the gap between men and women. For instance, Newsom’s (2011) movie reveals that influence and power are associated with males, preventing women from pursuing leadership roles. In this regard, the US focuses on two genders and sexes to support stereotypes that are rooted in various aspects of human life.
However, such a narrow understanding of sex and gender limits people by placing unfair, unequal, and discriminative expectations on them. As Newsom (2011) explores in her documentary, the psychological effect of such pressure is devastating and harmful for any individual that faces bias and disempowerment. Women are particularly affected by the norms and traditions of a patriarchal society (Clinard & Meier, 2015). In this regard, men benefit from the underlined differences and gender inequality which value masculinity more and associate it with success and power while undermining femininity and female leadership qualities. Overall, my thoughts on gender coincide with the main idea of Miss Representation, which emphasizes the need to abandon gender stereotypes and bias rooted in society, providing people with equal opportunities.
References
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2015). Sociology of deviant behavior (15th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Newsom, J. S. (2011). Miss Representation [Film]. Girls’ Club Entertainment.