Gender and gender roles as they are represented in media reflect the social norms and value systems surrounding gender in modern society. The portrayal of gender in mediums such as film, music, video games, television, advertisements, and social media is a subject of ongoing public discourse, social activism and academic research. Femininity, masculinity, gender nonconformity, and transgender identity represent various dimensions of gender in media. Specific issues concerning gender in media include stereotyping, diversity and inclusivity, sexualization, and gender ideals.

Within sociology of gender and gender studies, representations of gender in mass media are understood to play a significant role in the social construction of gender.

Representations of women In film, television and gaming Diversity and inclusion With respect to the emergence of consumable media in the 21st century, the contributions to media were predominantly male. There was a precedence in representation of men. This pattern was evident across different types of film such as action, comedy, science fiction and more. The inclusion of women in film or media was often on account of the male lead's needs. The popularization of profitable media began briefly before the women's rights movement. As women began to enter the workforce, a demand for jobs in media had surfaced. Women who wanted to enter the media workforce were often faced with reluctance but deemed a necessary asset for films and media. There were disparities in pay and leading roles for women in media early on however with the growing acceptance of women in the workplace, these disparities have gotten smaller over the years. The inclusion of women in media has since been rising steadily.

2024 marked the change of a previously male dominated representation. 2024 was the first year in which there was an equal balance of male and female protagonists in film, both sitting at 42%. In 2024 the percentage of female characters in major roles sat at 39%, an increase of two percentage points from the year before, with female characters with speaking roles also increasing two points from 35% to 37% between 2023 and 2024.

There remains an disparity between the ages of men and women portrayed the film, as the report cites Demi Moore—being over 50—in The Substance as an exception to the rule, with 16% of female characters in 2024 being over 40, with only 5% featured being over 60. 55% of male characters, on the other hand, were over 40.

Characterization Media represents women in such ways that reinforces popular tropes. Women in film and television are often reduced to feminine stereotypes, falling into roles and tropes which service the male leads. Historically, women have often been portrayed as caretakers and love interests. Even pioneering female leads of television and cinema, such as Lucille Ball and Doris Day, are portrayed as home-makers, wives, and mothers. Overtime the film industry has been improving on varying the types of role women receive in film. Women were commonly identified in areas in film and advertisement that were stereotypically fit. These scripted representation of women negatively impact stereotypes. There has been growth and advancement in women in STEM related media as well as areas that are more male dominated.

Female characters which famously deviate from these stereotypes are Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor and Buffy Summers. These characters are popular amongst both feminist and conservative critics, and are often cited as examples against the "Girlboss" character archetype, in which a woman is portrayed as cold, uncaring, with a disinterest in both platonic and romantic companionship, bearing similarity to traditional male action leads.

Appearance The physical representations of women's bodies in various forms of media such as modeling, acting, and singing are often limited to slimmer body types. In popular media, women having a taller slimmer build is the standard. Representation of different body types in media that don't make that representation the central focus of the media is rare. Digital alteration is commonly used on underrepresented body types in order to better align with what is considered standard. Prominent physical appearances in media vary geographically based on cultural beauty standards.  Appearances of women in children's media such as toys and movies are often emphasizing these standards. The emphasis of these beauty standards in media as well as the lack of representation when it comes to body types is related to children developing insecurities and low self-esteem around body image. Despite the unnatural effects that digital alteration has when used on bodies for media, young women often compare themselves to these portrayals.

One of the main motivations for women to appear a standard way in media is to appeal to male audiences for more profit. While women are more likely to consume content of other women no matter what, men are more likely to consume content of women they find attractive. Women are often sexualized order to appeal to the male gaze.

Associated tropes and criticism According to a RADA interview with course director Ingrid Schiller, women were not allowed on stage until 1661. These media tropes may have roots in women's diminished presence in the writing and performance of traditional theatre. An article by Medium author Olga Loves Cinema states that comedic roles were considered "too vulgar" to be played by the 'fairer sex', and that women were included at the expense of "[suffering] beautifully".

Referred pain The "referred pain" plot device involves women undergoing trauma, often of a violent/sexual nature, causing grief for the male lead, often inspiring a quest for vengeance. This trope is featured in such films as Mission: Impossible 2, Moulin Rouge, as well as in the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus and books like Oroonoko.

The disposable woman The Disposable Woman trope —also known as the Women in refrigerators trope— refers to a trope in which a woman is included in a story for the sole purpose of dying, thus putting the male protagonist through emotional development or inspiring him to embark on a revenge quest. This trope in present in films such as Braveheart, The Matrix Revolutions, The Bourne Supremacy, The Dark Knight, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Deadpool 2, and Avengers: Infinity War.

Manic Pixie Dream Girl The term "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" was coined in 2007 by film critic Nathan Rabin to describe a female character who exists solely "to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." The Manic Pixie Dream Girl improves the life of the male protagonist and makes him a happier and better person, but she has no apparent character arc or complex story.

Damsel in distress A damsel in distress serves as a character in trouble who needs the assistance of a male character to get over her problems. In the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, after being fatally poisoned by her step mother, Snow White's seven dwarf friends mourn her death, "until a handsome prince restores her to life with a kiss." Many of Disney's fairy tale movies, portray the princesses as damsels in distress, whilst enhancing their male protagonists' masculinity, as they rescue these princesses. They are further cleaved to the stereotype of only yearning to find their true love. Similarly with the story of Sleeping Beauty where a beautiful princess cursed to sleep, can only be woken up by her true love's kiss. Even though the story gets its name from the princess, she is helpless and needs a "sword-wielding prince, bursting with testosterone, who chops his way through the forest" to kiss and wake her up from her sleep.

Representation of men

In film, television and gaming

Characterization Upon the popularization of profitable media such as video games, films, and music, the primary consumers were men. These forms of media were heavily geared towards the interests of men. The portrayal and characterization of men in such forms of media were dominant, decisive and controlling. Throughout various media platforms such as google, men are represented in a way that reinforce these male ideologies such as CEO's and heroes. Men in media are characterized to be strong both emotionally and physically.

Media plays a role in the acceptance of negative social norms men and masculinity. Masculinity is a set of ideas related to the behavior and appearance of men and boys. Most societies socialize men and boys to assume that they are superior, leader, aggressive and entitled.

Men are proportionally represented by media more often compared to women, and these portrayals often draw on sexist stereotypes. Male characters in film and television are typically tougher and more aggressive, reckless or domineering than the average man they are meant to represent.

In gender studies, the concept of hegemonic masculinity describes how cultural norms of masculinity consolidate the dominant position of men in society over women, as well as over men and others whose gender expressions fall outside this cultural ideal. According to the concept, hegemonic masculinity idealizes such traits as power, strength, bravery, virility, and competitiveness in men. Men who demonstrate hegemonic masculinity are able to assert physical, intellectual, and sexual dominance of men over others.

Sports and athletics Media representations of sports and athletes contribute to the construction of a model of masculinity approbating strength, risk-taking, and aggression. PDF.

The UNESCO's section for Media Development and Society advocates for gender equality in sports media. "Sports coverage is hugely powerful in shaping norms and stereotypes about gender. Media has the ability to challenge these norms, promoting a balanced coverage of men's and women's sports and a fair portrayal of sportspeople – irrespective of gender". The campaign "Her Moments Matter" highlighted the fact that biased media representations of sports athletes have repercussions on women's self-confidence and the perception they have of themselves.

Advertisements often use male actors when promoting alcoholic beverages, banking services, or credit cards. When men are acting on a television commercial, they are usually performing activities such as playing sports, driving around girls, repairing cars, drinking, relaxing, and having fun.

Film historian Miriam Hansen argues the way female gaze came to film during the flapper films of the 1920s, specifically citing the famous Italian-American actor Rudolph Valentino as having been used on the screen to draw in a female audience as an embodiment of male beauty.

Following the banning of an advertisement where a wife asks pest exterminators to dispose of pests with one being her husband, CEO Fiona Jolly of the Advertising Standards Authority in Australia said in an interview that it was common for men in advertising to be portrayed as dithery and less capable compared to their partners. Gender stereotyping in British advertisements have been banned since 2017.

Parenting A 2021 study published Psychology of Popular Media found that, of the top-rated US sitcoms from 1980 to 2017, newer sitcoms portrayed fathers as increasingly foolish, and less likely to demonstrate parenting roles. The study found that 18% of scenes in the 1980s depicted fathers as having incompetent parenting, compared to 56% in the 2010s. This is despite an increase of fathers spending an average of 2.5 hours per week in 1965 to seven hours per week in 2011 on childcare.

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