Representation and Equality
REPRESENTATIONS AND EQUALITY ISSUES IN FACTUAL TV
The lack of diversity in film and television is a huge current debate. In recent years mass movements like Me Too and Black Lives Matter have begun to successfully challenge the lack of women and black and minority ethnic people in the media and spark a wider debate about the responsibility of the media to take matters of equality seriously. This applies when discussing characters and storylines of film and TV drama as well as in factual programming. The campaigns have also raised important questions about salaries, recognition, and roles for underrepresented groups in front of and behind the camera.
TASK
You must research and carryout analysis into three different shows from one factual TV genre. You should use the concepts below to help discuss who is being represented and how they are being represented - choose one representational area to discuss in detail:
Class
Disability
Ethnicity and Religion
Gender
Sexuality
Age
Here are some questions you should aim to answer about your chosen show:
Who is being represented in your programme?
Does your show play to stereotypes? Which ones and how?
Does your show play to stereotypes? Which ones and how?
Are particular groups represented in a more positive or negative way?
Do you think the show reinforces prejudices or does the show's audience justifies any imbalance in representations?
Do you think the show reinforces prejudices or does the show's audience justifies any imbalance in representations?
How do you feel your show compares to others in the genre?
GENDER
Many reports and studies show that women are underrepresented in news media and factual programming. This ranges from story content and contributors such as experts, guests, and presenters. How does your show match up?
CLASS
Social class related to the status or perceived status you hold in society. This is often classified by status and spending power by social scientist and those in marketing. People in advertising and marketing often target people by their spending power and leisure time. Lots of factual television is targeted around peoples consumer habits or there leisure time. You might ask yourself if the program you are analysing elevates or gives higher status to people with different class status. Lots of homes and gardens programming is aspirational for example the houses on sale in Homes Under the Hammer may be investments that are out of the reach of many viewers - but does this stop those people watching?
DISABILITY
Disabled people like weather reporter Lucy Martin are becoming far more prominent in factual programming, however are still seriously underrepresented. In many of the shows, you might be analysing people with disabilities may be conspicuous by their absence, some shows like Love Island have been found to have explicitly exclusionary policies.
Use the note below to help you analyse your chosen show:
Representation theory:
STEREOTYPES
Stuart Hall
Hall argues that the mainstream media often uses stereotypes to quickly identify characters and their situations. He says that this can often result in creating two-dimensional characters that reinforce historic prejudice or ideas about:
Class
Ethnicity
Gender
Sexuality
Age
Religion
Hall concludes that stereotypes in the mainstream western media present us with an overwhelmingly middle-aged, white, male, middle class, heterosexual, able-bodied, and christian view of the world.
Representation theory:
STEREOTYPES
Stuart Hall
Hall argues that the mainstream media often uses stereotypes to quickly identify characters and their situations. He says that this can often result in creating two-dimensional characters that reinforce historic prejudice or ideas about:
Class
Ethnicity
Gender
Sexuality
Age
Religion
Hall concludes that stereotypes in the mainstream western media present us with an overwhelmingly middle-aged, white, male, middle class, heterosexual, able-bodied, and christian view of the world.
ETHNICITY & RELIGION
An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry or on similarities such as common language or dialect, history, society, culture or nation. Ethnicity may include ideas and identity formed around the concept of race.
An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry or on similarities such as common language or dialect, history, society, culture or nation. Ethnicity may include ideas and identity formed around the concept of race.
You might find your show has minorities prominently represented in key roles or that there is a lack of representation. The Channel 4 newsreader Fatima Manji is the only woman newsreader who wears a Hijab but like many of those who have broken the glass ceiling before her, she has had to defend her right to be there.
Alternatively your show might have very little prominent representation from minority ethnic groups. For example, A Question of Sport has never had a BAME presenter or permanent team captain. It has now decided to end the contracts of its current presenter and captains an rethink the shows representations!
GENDER
Someones sex is a biological concept, whereas gender is a socially construct concept relating to a set of cultural norms or expectations. The show you choose to analyse may either reinforce or challenge traditional or binary concepts of gender.
For example, there has been a lot of debate about BBC's Top Gear, which was the most successful factual show of all time. The show has had a number of women presenters over the years but at its most successful the show had three male presenters who played to the male stereotype. The show was regularly accused of sexism, racism and homophobia. Jeramy Clarkson was eventually dropped from the show.
Some critics point to the way that women are represented in reality TV as reinforcing negative or submissive stereotypes.
Many reports and studies show that women are underrepresented in news media and factual programming. This ranges from story content and contributors such as experts, guests, and presenters. How does your show match up?
SEXUALITY
Your sexuality is defined as your sexual orientation, your sexual activity and your capacity for sexual feelings. Homosexual or heterosexual are examples of your sexuality. The sexual activities you act out and those you consider or desire are examples of your sexuality and capacity for sexuality. there is a list of different terms relating to people's sexual orientation on the stonewall website.
Your sexuality is defined as your sexual orientation, your sexual activity and your capacity for sexual feelings. Homosexual or heterosexual are examples of your sexuality. The sexual activities you act out and those you consider or desire are examples of your sexuality and capacity for sexuality. there is a list of different terms relating to people's sexual orientation on the stonewall website.
There are now numerous prominent LQBT+ presenters working in UK factual TV programming. However, there are also lots of factual shows that reinforce heterosexuality as the norm. For example the dating show 'Take Me Out'.
CLASS
Social class related to the status or perceived status you hold in society. This is often classified by status and spending power by social scientist and those in marketing. People in advertising and marketing often target people by their spending power and leisure time. Lots of factual television is targeted around peoples consumer habits or there leisure time. You might ask yourself if the program you are analysing elevates or gives higher status to people with different class status. Lots of homes and gardens programming is aspirational for example the houses on sale in Homes Under the Hammer may be investments that are out of the reach of many viewers - but does this stop those people watching?
DISABILITY
Disabled people like weather reporter Lucy Martin are becoming far more prominent in factual programming, however are still seriously underrepresented. In many of the shows, you might be analysing people with disabilities may be conspicuous by their absence, some shows like Love Island have been found to have explicitly exclusionary policies.
Some factual programs like Channel 4's Undateable have dealt explicitly with issues around disability but this may open up a debate about exclusion and inclusion.
AGE
Analysing the age profile of the people in your shows may open up a number of questions. It is likely that the age of the participants and presenters may correlate with their target audience. However it is worth looking at how all the people are represented. Are old of young people presented in crude stereotypes and what are these? Some have argued that women working in front of the camera on TV get less work as they get older, whereas their male counterparts keep working longer. Is this true in your shows?
Representations doc
AGE
Analysing the age profile of the people in your shows may open up a number of questions. It is likely that the age of the participants and presenters may correlate with their target audience. However it is worth looking at how all the people are represented. Are old of young people presented in crude stereotypes and what are these? Some have argued that women working in front of the camera on TV get less work as they get older, whereas their male counterparts keep working longer. Is this true in your shows?
Representations doc
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