sort of buyer desired. Children are particularly vulnerable to advertising for products of interest to them and pick up messages about gender roles from characters and situations in commercials as in programs.
One problem noted for television is the distorted image given of women and minorities in particular. The Report of the United States Commission on Civil Rights stated that minorities and women were under represented on television: "When they do appear they are frequently seen in token or stereotyped roles" (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 3). In the 1950s, says the Commission, women had particular roles as homemakers:
Television households were always spotless and smoothly managed, but the women who maintained them usually looked as though they spent most of their time in the beauty parlor. Women were rarely portrayed outside the home or family situation. When they ventured into the occupational world their roles were stereotyped (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 8).
Sexist stereotypes were noted for television advertising as well. A National Organization for Women report in 1972 found that women in whatever role on television "were portrayed as dependent, unintelligent, submissive creatures who were adjuncts of men" (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 12). Portrayals of women in occupational roles were infrequent and were restricted to relatively few occupations, and women were also rarely depicted as working wives (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 13).
The Commission found that in the 1970s the situation changed as programmers attempted new types of program with new roles for women, following changes in society and recognizing that women wanted to see their new roles on television. The situation comedy now included a number of shows featuring women, and the commission cited The Mary Tyler Moore Show as different because it explored the status of the main character as a single, professional woman who did not ha...