TV Violence Against Women Increases Drastically
The Parents Television Council has released their October 2009 survey illustrating a troublesome increase in violence, including sexual violence, against women on television shows.
Here are some highlights from the findings in “Women in Peril: A Look at TV’s Disturbing New Storyline Trend”:
-There’s been a 400 percent increase in the depiction of teen girls as victims across all networks from 2004 to 2009.
-Incidences of violence against women on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC rose 120 percent from 2004 to 2009, while other types of violence during the same time frame increased only 2 percent.
-The most frequent type of violence shown is beating (29%), followed by credible threats of violence (18%), shooting (11%), rape (8%), stabbing (6%), and torture (2%).
-Violence against women tends to be depicted rather than just described, and that of the above violent storylines, the acts resulted in the woman’s death 19 percent of the time.
In a 2010 Survey conducted for Seventeen Magazine, a popular teen girls’ publication, over three-quarters of teen boys polled stated there is too much pressure from society to have sex; due at least in part to being influenced by pornographic images.
Both studies conclude that the acts of violence along with explicit sex seen on TV may contribute to young people viewing aggression and violence against women as normal and acceptable.
The increase in violence doesn’t stop with TV:
The sexual mistreatment and beating of actress Jessica Alba's character in her new mainstream Hollywood movie, The Killer Inside Me, was so graphic that Alba herself walked out of a screening.
Alba plays a woman involved in a sadomasochistic relationship who enjoys being beaten.
In a related issue: See this blogsite's newer article: Male-bashing on TV.
A longer version of this article with more details was originally published here at The Underground Online Magazine.
4 comments:
This article makes me question the intentions of the author and the legitimacy of this website.
The real dramatic rise in violent depictions in the media is female violence against men. There should be no violence depicted at all; but if someone surfs the channels, it's almost laughable how consistently females dominating, abusing, and beating males are shown in the media. More than "laughable", it's tragic. There is no doubt that there was going to be a backlash from that situation coming.
Mutual respect or no respect. That's what women and men both need to understand.
Dear Anonymous,
I hope you come back to see my response. I agree that men are also violated on TV. On sitcoms and in commercials, they are made to look like buffoons and idiots who don't know anything. On TV and in real life, women divorce them at the drop of a hat, and our society is emasculating them as unneeded byproducts to women who want to be in charge of everything. However, I was reporting on the results of a survey about women only. So I'm not sure why this topic would make you question "my legitimacy and intent."
I love men, and I have a wonderful husband whom I respect for being the head of our household.
During the next week, I have other obligations and will not be working on this blog, so if you come back and don't get another response soon, please wait a while.
Perhaps when I have time again to do so, I will write a post about the topic of men maligned in the media and life.
I agree with Anonymous totally.
How can we possibly be expected to be gentlemen these days when mainstream TV and other media show men being kicked and punched by women, often made to be funny?
Even childrens show show women being violent to men but never the other way around.
I long for the days of Ladies and Gentlemen.
I feel if young men acted like gentlemen these days they would just look foolish and get pushed around by aggressive women.
Why dont women complain in there thousands about violence to men by women on TV, they just don't seem to care and I suspect enjoy the entertainment.
Dear Anonymouses,
Again, I don't agree with women abusing men for real, or on TV, and many women don't agree with it. Groups like The Parents Television Council has fought the trend but it falls on deaf ears in liberal media and among extreme feminists.
I did not write on the issue of domestic violence against men simply because it was a new survey on violence against women that I found. That's the only reason.
However, keep your eyes open for a new post I will be doing to address concerns about domestic violence against men. You peaked my interest and I am currently researching it.
If you are a male who is being abused, I encourage you to seek help in the same way a woman would.