Introduction
The analysis of the gender concept has been popular over the centuries. This notion covered a lot of national interactions and gender protests. It should be noted that the roles and dominance of genders cannot be fixed or exactly identified. A lot of authors tried to examine the role of women in this or that social unit; gender inequality has been the reason for national conflicts for a long time and nowadays a lot of literature and media works are devoted to this theme.
Main body
Judith Lorber in her work “Night to his Day” raised the problem of gender identification in modern society. According to her opinion, the problem of inequality between man and woman was dissolved and nowadays all people are considered to be equal. But there is a psychological problem that cannot unite males and females in one whole unit. It is interesting to stress that though the position of a woman became more fixed and stable, there are still some limitations and obligations for females which took place a long time ago. And one can see that the author supports this idea as well. (Lorber, p. 5)
The analysis of a woman’s position in society was carried out by Jessica Hagedorn in her work “Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck”. The author underlined the fact that even in the sphere of media the woman’s roles were diminished and humiliated. For example, the character of an ideal woman was presented as a silent and submissive female who always obey and is eager for sex. It proves that Asian women suffered deep pressure on the part of gender inequality. Movies demonstrated all peculiarities of sexual interrelations in Asia and Africa underlining the tragic role of females in society. Such films as The Scent of Green Papaya, The Wedding Banquet, etc. are examples of the gender position discovered in previous centuries by females which were lack of respect in society. (Hagedorn, p. 77)
The film industry reflected the racial and gender problems suffering by many nationalities over centuries. Thus, Elizabeth Freydberg managed to analyze the position of Afro-Americans and Latinas showed in modern movies. It is important to stress that Freydberg as all authors analyzed above raised one common problem of social disunity. It concerns both Black people’s position and females’ place in society.
The author wanted to stress the fact that women of Afro-American origin have long been treated as just objects for sex which should belong to white men. It should be noted that this data underline some features of racial and sexual discrimination characterizing former centuries in many countries throughout the world. (Freydberg, p. 266)
Nevertheless, the situation has changed for the better and in modern society, Black women are treated with respect and understanding. Thus, the reality show America Top Model discloses the idea that black girls are the most active and domineering. The modern world changed the situation for women of different races which was thoroughly examined in the articles mentioned above. America Top Model Show proves that it is possible to unite people of different nations and provide an important place for the role of the woman in society. (Yvonne, 2000)
Conclusion
To sum everything up it should be stated that the sphere of media reflected the peculiarities of time when women were under strong pressure and had no right to express their personal views. Modern films and TV Shows show that the conflict between genders was dissolved in many countries of the world and the problem of gender discrimination is not the central one as it was a long time ago.
References
Yvonne, Galligan. The Development of Mechanisms to Monitor Progress in Achieving Gender Equality. Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform: 2000.
Lorber, Judith. Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. 1994.
Hagedorn, Jessica. Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck. 1994.
Freydberg, Elizabeth. Sapphires, Spitfires, Sluts, and Superbitches. 2004.