1. Gender and Media Stereotypes
PowerPoint Slideshow #2
Gender and Media Stereotypes
A workshop for individuals with
disabilities and low English literacy

2. What are the Ground Rules?
Please turn off your cell-phone.
No one has to talk if they do not want to.
Be respectful. No laughing or put downs.
One person talks at a time.
No interruptions.
Are there any other ground rules that you would like to have here today?

3. 2. How stereotypes are part of our every-day lives
Unit ?
Gender and Media Stereotypes
What You Will Learn
1. What stereotypes are
2. How stereotypes are part of our every-day lives
3. How stereotypes can impact our relationships

4. A label or judgement made about a person or a group of people.
What are Stereotypes?
Stereotypes
[stare-ee-oh-types]
A label or judgement made about a person or a group of people.
They may or may not be true.
They can change the way you think about and/or treat people.
Think about the stereotypes that you may have heard about people who:
Have a lot of piercings
Like to play hockey
Are in a wheelchair
Wear expensive clothing
Like skate-boarding
Like a certain type of music
Like to play on the computer

5. Disability Stereotypes
What are some stereotypes or labels about a person with a disability? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Talk about…
How do those stereotypes make you feel?
Do you think they describe all people with disabilities?
How are they wrong?
What are you missing out on if you believe these stereotypes?

6. The state of being male, female or neither.
Gender and Relationship Stereotypes?
Gender
The state of being male, female or neither.
Everyday, we get messages from the media and world around us.
Media
Things as in the radio, TV, newspapers, movies, the internet and music.
Society tells us how we should look, act and feel about our-self and others.
Society
People living as members in a community.
It is important to be aware of these messages and how they can change the way you treat people.

7. Gender Stereotypes
Gender Stereotypes
Views that people have about what is “typically” male or female. These stereotypes often lead
to gender roles.
Stereotypes affect us all!
Think about society’s image of a “real” man or a “real” woman.
What are your gender stereotypes?
Let’s try to think of some gender stereotypes that we have heard of or believe in.

8. Gender Roles
Gender stereotypes often lead into gender roles.
Gender Roles
Gender roles are how we expect women and men to act or look just because they are women or men.
They are things like:
“A man should”:
Make more money to support the family
Be strong and be a protector
Not cry
“A woman should”:
Take care of the children
Clean and cook
Make less money
Can you think of some other gender roles?

9. Stereotypes in Relationships
You may not be aware of it, but we also have stereotypes about what we think relationships should look like.
They are often tied into the gender roles that we talked about.
One example is that we often hear is that men are strong and women need to be saved.
What are your relationship stereotypes? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

10. What Do We See in the Media?
The media usually does not show images of people like you and your friends.
Does that mean there is some-thing wrong with you?
Does that mean we should try to look like these people?
We might think that we need to look like this, or date some-one who looks like this.
But you do not have to look like this, or date some-one who looks like this.
We have to be happy with who we are and help others be happy with who they are.

11. Stereotypes and Sex Relationship stereotypes are also tied into sex.
The common stereotype is that guys want to have sex and girls always try to resist it.
What do you think?
What are some stereotypes about girls or guys who:
like to have sex?
do not like to have sex?
When you believe stereotypes like this it can lead us to think that guys always want to have sex and girls who like to have sex are “easy”.

12. Same Sex Relationship Stereotypes
There are stereotypes and messages in society and the media about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Homophobia can play a part in these stereotypes.
Homophobia
[homo-fo-bee-ah]
Homophobia is a fear or dislike of people who are attracted to people of the same sex. It is a form of discrimination.
What are your stereotypes about LGBT people?
Can you think of some stereotypes that you may have heard around LGBT people?

13. LGBT in the Media
Another message that we get from the media about same sex relationships is one that happens when we do not see them at all.
Can you think of any TV shows, commercials or ads in magazines that have same sex couples in them?
If we do not see these relationships in the media it can give the idea that they are not normal.
Now we are starting to see more LGBT people in TV shows and movies and there are many more resources out there for people who want info and support.
It is good to see more of this variety because the traditional family is not as “normal” as it used to be.
Now it is normal for couples to be the same sex, opposite sexes, different ages and different races.

14. LGBTTQQI2SA Acronym [ah-crah-nim]
The term LGBT is actually longer than just those 4 letters.
This slide is here to talk about the other letters in the acronym.
Acronym
[ah-crah-nim]
A way to make a long phrase or name shorter. This is done by using the first letter of each word.
Here is what the different letters stand for:
L - Lesbian
G - Gay
B - Bisexual
T - Transgender
T - Transsexual
Q - Queer
Q - Questioning
I - Intersex
2 – 2 Spirited
SA – Straight Ally
For more information check out this website:

15. Gender Reversal Role Play
Split into pairs.
Each pair has to come up with a scenario to act out.
Everyone has to pick a piece paper out of a hat, it will either say “male” or “female”.
Act out the scenario as the gender you pulled out of the hat.
Ask the group if they thought you did a good job acting like the gender you were supposed to act like.
If you acted very differently to how you usually act, why did you act this way?

16. The Dating Violence Awareness Program was created by Vecova Research Services. This video was made possible with funding from the TELUS community fund and the Canadian Women’s Foundation.