Violence against Women on Television and in Movies

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Recommended: Representations of women as victims in media

Violence has made a home in American society. Since TV shows and movies provide a large source of entertainment for Americans, networks and Hollywood find themselves constantly competing for viewers. As the competitions heat up, so does the content shown on the screen, but some of that content as struck a nerve with people. The large amount of violence, and more specifically violence against women, portrayed on TV and in movies has people taking action to clean up the screen.
Violence: The Facts and Figures
Americans have experienced a great increase of violence on TV and in movies throughout the years; unfortunately, violence against women has escalated more. A study conducted by the Parents Television Council in the time span from 2004-2009 concluded that instances of violence against women increased over 120 percent. The study compared the number of instances of violence against women shown on each of the four largest broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX), during their two sweeps periods of the years 2004 and 2009. The study showed that the networks had a combined 195 instances of violence against women in 2004. The number jumped to 429 in 2009. The network with the highest increase was CBS. In 2004, the council counted 96 acts of violence against women. In 2009, the number skyrocketed to 180. The network with the lowest number of acts of violence against women in both years remained ABC. In 2004, the council counted 26 acts of violence against women on the network. In 2009, the number had only increased by seven to 33 (Parents Television Council 1-2).
Another problem that arises when studying the violence against women on TV and in movies is that of how the incidents occur. In the same study conducted by the Parents Te...

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...ch Annual Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women, Offering Women and Families Lifesaving Information and Resources. New York: Lifetime Television. Web. 18 Nov. 2010.
MPAA. 2009 Theatrical Market Statistics. Motion Picture Association of America. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2010.
NOW. Media Hall of Shame. National Organization for Women. Web. 18 Nov. 2010.
Parents Television Council. Women in Peril: A look at TV’s disturbing new storyline trend October 2009. Parents Television Council. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
Sapolsky, Barry S., and Fred Molitor. Sex and Violence in Slasher Films. Mass Media and Society. Greenwich: Ablex Publishing, 1997. Print.
Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report. Walt Disney Company. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2010.
Whipp, Glenn. Scandal-Prone Star Raises Sitcom Salary Bar. Variety. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2010.

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