Girls on Film: An Examination of Gendered Vocational Socialization Messages Found in Motion Pictures Targeting Teenage Girls

Abstract

Anticipatory organizational socialization begins in childhood as girls and boys are exposed to various messages from a range of sources. One of these sources is the film. The following study examines eighteen films, released between 2000 and early 2004, targeting teenage girls to explore messages that they receive about gender and possible vocational roles. The results indicate that girls are presented with messages suggesting that careers in general are relatively unimportant. Instead, they are asked to continue to look toward their fathers and boyfriends for protection, guidance, and financial support. The essay concludes with suggestions to future filmmakers for improving current messages within the limitations of film production.

The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and undergraduate research assistants, Judy Battaglia, Roxanne Banuelos, Kevin Frazier, and Brittany Stangel for their invaluable contributions to the project.

Notes

Tween as a demographic characteristic has many denotations; it may refer to children of about 2 years of age (i.e., the age between toddler and child) or even anyone under the age 30. For the purposes of the currently study, the 'tween category refers to the popularly accepted definition of 8- to 12-year-olds.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Annika Hylmö

Annika Hylmö (Ph.D Purdue University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Loyola Marymount University. A previous version of this paper was presented at the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender (OSCLG), South Bend, IN, October 2004.