When you think of your favorite television show, what probably comes to mind is your favorite character. And when you think of the character is (s)he male or female? It'd be safe to assume the character is male, in fact the odds are 3 or 4 to 1 in favor of the male actors [6]. For example, in the sitcom "Seinfeld" the three comedic male roles played by Jerry Seinfeld (himself), Jason Alexander (George Costanza), and Michael Richards (Kramer), outnumber the singular female comedic role played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine Benes).
Furthermore, males receive more "air-time" and better roles. In television sitcoms, men are typically hard-working, bread winners, comedic and knowledgeable, among many other notable qualities. For example, children's sitcoms like "Captain Planet" illustrate heroic "masculine" qualities (i.e. aggression and independence), where the males outnumber the females and a man consumes the leading role. Upwards of 85% of children's sitcom characters are male [6]. From an early age, children are exposed to sitcoms in which male roles convey independence, comedy, and intelligence (i.e. "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody") and female roles convey submissiveness, friendliness, and domestic skills (i.e. "Lizzie McGuire").
Most importantly however, are the sitcoms on the air that symbolize sexuality and aggression as well as degradation of females. For instance, in the show "Two and a Half Men," a comedic sitcom, there are three male characters who either diminish the name of women or comply with the views of the misogyny. "There are beauty queens, fat ladies, mean mothers, pushy bitches, ex-wives, bunny boilers, dumb blondes, and whores but no female characters, just caricatures." This show illustrates the "sexcapades" of Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and the reactions of his enabling brother Alan (Jon Cryer) and his brother's son Jake (Angus T. Jones). Alan and Jake enable Charlie's behavior by rolling their eyes and inserting comments like "Oh, Charlie" as if it were routine and comedic. Not to mention, the fact that this show appeals to younger viewers due to the adolescent Jake, who began filming this show when he was only 10 years old.
Yet another gender issue on television is homosexuality. After all, without homosexuality, heterosexuality has no meaning [6]. Homosexuality is viewed as the opposite of heterosexuality and it is quite obviously depicted that way in the media as well. On "The Real World," there is typically one person in the cast who is homosexual or bisexual, which reflects the social belief that homosexuals are outnumbered or abnormal. In fact, when the cast of "The Real World" meets for the first day, they often attempt to decipher who the gay roommate could be, because it is socially unacceptable to inquire about someone's sexual orientation one-on-one, but it is acceptable to pass judgement to others as to what it might be. Here in this clip, mere physical appearance is perceived as fitting of the homosexual culture.
