Things You Should Know About Television
General T.V. Facts
- More than 28% of parents don't fully understand what the various ratings and guidelines for television shows mean.
- According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day, which translates to 28 hours per week, 2 months per year, and 9 years of a 65 year life.
- Approximately 66 percent of Americans report watching television while they are eating dinner.
- The T.V. is on an average of 6 hours and 47 minutes a day in the common household.
- 99% of all households possess at least one television.
- Hours per year the average American youth is in school is 900 hours, the average American youth watches 1500 hours of television per year.
- The majority of women on T.V. are restricted to a select few roles. Male roles are far more extensive and more exciting. Women are often shown in 'traditional' roles such as housewives, mothers, secretaries, and nurses; men as husbands and fathers, but also as athletes, celebrities, and tycoons.
- In the drama genre, women are outnumbered by men nearly 3:1, and in soap operas, it's nearly 7:3.
- Up to 85% of the characters in children's programming are male, including cartoons and animal characters.
- Men tend to be shown in close face shots, whereas women are shown in full body shots. The face is meant to represent intellect and the body represents emotion.
