Gender Equality in Language and the Media

Language shapes the way we think about gender equality. The English language furthers the stereotype that men and women are not equal. In English there are different pronouns for males and females. In English when referring to males the pronouns “he” and “him” and “she” and “her” for females. This establishes that males and females are different. In the Spanish language the male pronouns dominate. When referring to a group of males and females the male pronoun is always used. This establishes the fact the women are inferior to men.

Stereotypes appear all the time in the media. Frequently commercials are played that use male and female stereotypes. There are many commercials that have males making a mess and then a female using some advertised product to clean up the mess. This enforces the stereotypes that males are slobs and that females are responsible for cleaning. There are also many commercials that show females wearing little clothing. These commercials enforce the stereotype that women should be judged based on their bodies.