Stereotyping Women in the Workplace

It has been common since the 1950's to see women portrayed in a negative light when it comes to employment. During this time, numerous companies have expressed sexist views of women. There has been a stereotype that women cannot handle jobs that men have and that they should stick to the traditional "housewife" or secretary role. In this Family Guy clip from youtube, we see how the show portrays women from the 1950's and how these stereotypes still exist:

Family Guy - Women Stereotype

As you can see from the clip, the commercial focuses on how women are interpreted as being objects rather than people. Even the comments from viewers show how these stereotypes still exist. One other Family Guy clip shows the main character Peter Griffin saying to his wife Lois "Hey I'm starvin, how bout a sandwich?" Then he proceeds to give her a smack on the rear end. It's pretty embarrassing to see this continue even today. However, things are improving tremendously. Women hold positions of power in different types of companies all over the world. One area that must see improvement however is women in the middle east. They have little rights in some countries and it's very important that it is changed. With the significant progress that has been made, it's vital that it continues.

Shows like Family Guy continue these stereotypes and we must use media literacy when viewing these shows. That means not reading into these shows and viewing them solely as entertainment and not actual facts or knowledge. I actually did a project on some of the stereotypes Family Guy promotes and discriminating against women was one of the main ones the show promotes. Part of a Woman's Journey is overcoming obstacles like these shows. As we continue, we will provide even more instances of this and how women are overcoming the odds.