The Meaning of Size 83range of occupations such as a travel guide, bartender, salesperson, general,
information clerk, court jester, vicar, king, Viking, sergeant, cook, farmer,
wizard, and flutist. In contrast, when the women were given a job (only 4
percent of the time), they were either a bank teller or a secretary (Chavez,
1985). Brabant and Mooney carried out two studies in this area. First they
explored whether the presentation of women had changed between 1976
and 1986, and reported that women still appeared less frequently than
men and when they appeared they were still in more passive roles either
at home or as child carers. The only change was that the women were less
likely to be wearing aprons than they had been 10 years earlier (Brabant
and Mooney, 1986). Second, they carried out a study on less traditional
comic strips where the woman involved did have a job outside of the home.
The results showed that these women were also more likely to be shown
in the home or caring for children and were portrayed as critical, worrying
a great deal, and having stressful sleepless nights (Mooney and Brabant, 1987).
Newspapers
Women are also much less pictured in newspapers, and when they are the
text is more likely to mention their appearance, their clothing, and whether
they are married or a mother (Foreit et al., 1980; Archer et al., 1983; Luebke,
1989).
Television
The representation of men and women also differs on television. For
example, one study showed that women comprised only 29 percent of all
characters and 31 percent of major characters on American TV, and that
they were likely to be younger than the men and more likely to be shown
in the home (Signorielli, 1989). A further study of children’s television found
that women were seldom presented in prestigious positions, but if they were,
they were both beautiful and brilliant (Fossarelli, 1984).
Magazines
Cantor reviewed studies of fiction in the mass media and concluded that
the basic message was that sexual relationships were the most important
factors in women’s lives, more so than politics, economy, war, or peace,
and even more important than the family, children, and their careers
(Cantor, 1987). Even the women profiled in magazines targeting working
women were portrayed in traditional occupations and were less likely to
perceive themselves as having responsibility or influence in their jobs. In