Representation Of Women In Television

When considering the types of roles women in modern television play, more often than not it is not a lead character, they are not powerful figureheads, they are not controversial, they almost always are subordinate to a male lead, and they usually have some stereotypical female affliction. The stereotypical affliction can be to chocolate or to shoes, makeup, or name brand clothing among other things. Roles for women in television today and especially in the past are devoid of diversity. The US Census Bureau reports that 15.7% of the population of the US identifies as Black or multi-racial.[1] That number nearly doubles when the population of Hispanics is added. Why is it so hard for television programming to represent the country’s many races,

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, One Day at a Time, Julia, and Kate & Allie. Starting in the 1960s and gaining momentum through the 70s more women and more single mothers emerged to represent a growing television viewer demographic. It is very important to note that the programs that were representing these women fell into the genre of comedy. Lauren Rabinovitz states, “The situation comedy constructed around a single while career woman or mother emerged in the 1970s as a preferred fictional site for a ‘feminist’ subject position.”[3] If presenting feminist ideas by way of jokes got feminism into American homes, it was worth it. There was a lot of progressive feminine ideology during the 70s. One would think that progress would continue, right? The answer to that question may be surprising. There is a saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It is quite possible that, regardless of all the advancements society at large has addressed for women, modern media must still place a man within the construct of a program for it to be considered worthy of our viewership. To address the evolution television has had, its history must be taken into account. 1950s was the boom of the television age, shows like, I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, and Leave It to Beaver were very popular and widely praised for upholding positive family values. Most of the shows in

The protagonist of the show is Nancy Botwin, played by Mary-Louise Parker. The show starts with her as a newly widowed housewife, mother to two sons [4]. She wanted only the best for her children; she wanted to be a successful homemaker and entrepreneur. Many times in the show she presented herself as a “mother lion” type, someone who would kill to keep her family safe. At first glance she seems strong, of high morals, and very nurturing. It is not until the show starts to progress that many male characters begin to play starring roles as well. As early as episode one, "You Can't Miss the Bear," Nancy’s brother-in-law, Andy, moves in to her home to fill the role of father to Nancy’s two sons. Her neighbor Doug was constantly giving his input to her lucrative cannabis endeavors, and Nancy constantly found herself the object of some man’s sexual attention. This show was very progressive in its sociopolitical views, but its main female character was cast in a very dated and stereotypical gender role. The show also put very negative stereotypes on its Hispanic and Black characters. The Black men in the show were all primarily drug dealers, the tertiary male lead in season four and five was the crooked mayor of Tijuana and drug king pin, Esteban Reyes. Just as Rabinovitz stated of Kate & Ally, “…the lure of relevancy is rerouted once it is introduced,” and Weeds was no exception to