Guys and Gals
Sex Bias in Words
OBJECTIVE: Given the definition of sex bias in words, students will not use any bias in their speeches.
MATERIALS: Pictures of ads or any kind of example of a sex bias in the words, either to project , to hand out, or pass around, Pencil and paper
STEPS:
1. Give the definition of sex bias: treating people unfairly because they are women or because they are men( Longman Dictionary.com)
2. Have students make a list of all the words they know for males and all the words they know for females
3. Count the number of each and find what the ratio of male names are to female names
4. Discuss as a class why they think they are different in numbers and why having this bias is a negative in speaking
5. Show the advertisements
6. Discuss what is bias in the advertisements
RESULTS: Students will find two example of sex bias in words. They will find one against females and one against male. Students will refrain from use of sex bias in their future speeches.
Newpapers
Newspapers regularly feature articles by such journalists as Polly Toynbee (Independent) that whine about men. The newspapers do have a press complaints body but these complaints will only be accepted if you are personally mentioned in the article or the complaint is perceived to be in the public interest. For example, one recent complaint the Press Complaints received was about two articles in the Yorkshire Evening Post: “Battle to free child snatcher-sentence on dad too harsh, says campaign” (8-Mar-96) and “Court ruling looms – Mum in fight for children” (4-Jan-96). The father and the mother both committed the same offence. They travelled with their children to another country against a court order. Same offence, different headline in the newspaper, and completely different tone in the body of the text The reply stated:
“….Only in exceptional circumstances a complaint from a third party may be investigated should the Commission consider that a significant issue involving the public interest is raised….the Commissioners do not find your complaint raises such an issue under the Code.”
Obviously the fate of 45000 fathers who loose all contact with their children every year is not considered a significant issue. It is according to the press acceptable to present a mother as a heroine and a father as a child snatcher.
Advertising
Advertisements regularly feature men as foolish. The main aim of the advertisers is to appeal to women who control and make the majority of purchases. There has been a recent disturbing trend of using images of violence against men to sell products to young women (Sunday Telegraph 14-Sep-97).
The car company Nissan recently placed advertisements in women’s magazines for a car called the Micra targeting younger women who make up 70 percent of the cars buyers. The heading was ‘Hate Male’. The advertisement encouraged women readers to write in and get sent postcard pictures of a man who had been compromised by a women after he had borrowed her car without asking. The pictures are: A man bent in agony holding his crutch, a mans jacket in tatters with both the arms cut off, a male watch being fried in a pan, a man sleeping with half his hair and beard cut off, a women holding a can of opened dog food behind her back and in the background a man is sitting eating, a paper clipping lying on a table of the Bobbitt case entitled: a night to dismember, and a book with the last few pages cut out.
In an advertisement on television by Volkswagen a divorcing husband tries to claim that his VW car is worth a great deal more money than it really is. The wife discovers this overvaluation and gets her own back on the husband by “taking him to the cleaners”. The wife is seen crowing over her victory and thanking VW for their cheapness. The husband is left standing at the curb side and gets his clothes back from the cleaners torn to shreds (presumably by his wife).
A billboard advertisement for Lee jeans features a naked man lying on the floor. A woman wearing Lee jeans is shown with her stiletto above the man’s buttocks. The caption reads “Put the boot in”.
An advertisement for Wallis clothes featuring in women’s magazines, shows men about to be killed because they are staring at women. In one, a man is about to have his throat cut because his barber is staring at a pretty girl
UK Men and Father’s Rights http://www.coeffic.demon.co.uk/index.htm
Amanda Davidson
Fall 2009