Oliver Curtis

Essay 4 Draft

Composition 1

Mr. Kiely

Negative Gender Stereotypes: The Modern Father

Over the past few decades, society has undergone dramatic changes concerning gender

roles, not all of which can be considered beneficial. Some of the change comes in the form of

negative gender stereotypes and generalizations that redefine the way we view both men and

women. For example, one common stereotype describes the modern father as generally

incompetent, incapable, and altogether inane and can be found in popular television series’ such

as The Simpsons or Family Guy. This stereotype has evolved from those found in sitcoms of the

1950’s and 1960’s, which featured the “5 o’clock dad and stay-at-home mom” (Quindlen 165).

With around 66% of women with children in the United Stated working, those stereotypes of the

past have given way to financial reality (The Harried Life, par 5). As the cost of living goes up,

fathers inevitably find themselves with more responsibilities to fulfill inside the home. For some

fathers, this can be problematic, especially if they are not prepared to do their fair share of work

in the home. On the other hand, there are plenty of fathers who successfully balance work and

home responsibilities. Popular media damages the situation by perpetuating the stereotype that

the typical father is inherently incapable of childcare or domestic responsibilities, and slows

progress towards more equal distribution of responsibilities at home.

Stereotypes exist as a result of the human instinct to simplify complex ideas and social

concepts. While many stereotypes are misleading and are formed from false over-

generalizations, they often contain a grain of truth. Sure, there are some deadbeat fathers in our

society, but that is not to say that all fathers are inherently incompetent when it comes to their

family responsibilities. There lies the problem with negative gender stereotypes; those

assumptions that society and the media portray as acceptable are viewed not as occasional truths,

but as defining characteristics and standards to which a gender-based group will invariably

adhere. If young men learn that they are "expected to screw up", why should they aspire to do

otherwise? (Abernathy 227). Similarly, if fathers are constantly indoctrinated with the idea that,

because they are male, they cannot perform household tasks as efficiently or perfectly as their

wives, why would they even attempt to? Stereotypes presented in the media that encourage men

to forget anything even related to domestic tasks around the house may seem harmless from the

outside, but if those stereotypes start to seep into mainstream culture, fathers may start to

conform to them.

The advent of mass media mediums such as television and the Internet have amplified the

spread of negative gender stereotypes. One of the causes for this increasing saturation is the

marketability of those stereotypes. If viewers did not find hilarity or interest in gender

stereotypes presented in the various forms of media, they would eventually die out. However, a

more plausible reason for the persistence of gender stereotypes is the simple fact that they work.

According to Psychology Today, “By putting people into little boxes, we don't have to think as

much or as carefully about people”(Mendoza-Denton, par 17). By assigning specific stereotypes

to fathers in shows like The Simpsons, popular media publishers give people an opportunity to

take a step back from the dysfunction of their own families and the anxiety that goes along with

it. That is the real origin of the helpless father stereotype; it is a reflection of the anxieties and

stress spouses face when determining how to balance chores at home, especially when both are

working full-time jobs. Although the goal of humorous depictions of fathers as helpless and

simple-minded is to get a laugh out of viewers, it has the potential to cause serious harm to the

way fathers are viewed in society.

As negative gender stereotypes towards fathers become more saturated and accepted, an

unintentional effect of popular media, people begin to assume that men simply cannot be trusted

to take care of their children or chores around the home. Additionally, fathers will face more

pressure to conform to the gender roles suggested by the media, regardless of whether or not they

have the desire to fill them. Rather than moving towards a perfected form of gender equality,

society will become a place where we are limited by assumptions about our abilities, skills and

personalities. For example, the vast majority of advertisements for cleaning supplies are centered

on the assumption that women are the sole users of said products. By leaving men out of the

equation, advertisers send out the subliminal message that women are the only ones who should

be using cleaning supplies. This stereotype simply is no longer true; the economic strain of

raising a family now requires both spouses to participate in childcare and the general upkeep of

the home. “Today, men on average do almost a third of housework, says Scott Coltrane, an

author, sociologist and dean at the University of Oregon. That's up from an average of less than a

fifth in 1965, when men mainly took out the trash and tended the yard” (Bryon, par 9). While

advertisers have made some effort in turning the helpless father stereotype around, it is still quite

prevalent. However, as the workload at home becomes more equally distributed between both

spouses, advertisers will have no choice but to include more men in their ad-targeted focus

groups.

The fact that the media heavily influences gender stereotypes is unquestionable.

However, individuals still retain the personal responsibility for making negative stereotypes

based on gender. When individuals decide to no longer support and condone negative

stereotypes, media publishers will have no choice but to do the same. According to Dr. Monica

Brasted, “advertising needs to adjust its messages concerning gender roles to reflect a non-

stereotypical portrayal” (par 18). She argues if advertising is used to promote non-stereotypical

behaviors in a manner similar to how it presents stereotypical roles now, the media can begin to

change its influence on society for the better (par 18). Already, our society has been changed by

the media’s inclusion of stereotypes; it is time to make sure that those stereotypes will not have

damaging long-term effects on future generations as well as the current generation.

Works Cited

Abernathy, Michael. “Male Bashing on TV.” Writing on the River. Ed. Connie Kuhl. New

York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 227. Print.

Brasted, Dr. Monica. “Care Bears vs. Transformers: Gender Stereotypes in Advertisements.” The

Socjournal. The Socjournal. 17 Feb 2010. Web. 30 Nov 2012.

Byron, Ellen. “A Truce in the Chore Wars.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. 4

Dec 2012. Web. 6 Dec 2012.

Mendoza-Denton, Rodolfo. “Addicted to Stereotypes.” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers,

LLC. 2 Feb 2011. Web. 29 Nov 2012.

“The Harried Life of the Working Mother” Pew Social & Demographic Trends. Pew Research

Center. 1 Oct 2009. Web. 5 Dec 2012.