Gender Stereotypes Are Messing with1 Your Kid

By Caroline Knorr

Learning gender roles from movies and TV shows has real consequences on kids' self-esteem and relationships.

孩子从影视节目中了解到的性别角色划分确实会影响其自尊和人际关系。

G ender stereotypes are messing with your kid. It's not just one movie. It's not just one TV show. It's constant exposure to the same dated concepts in the media over and over, starting before preschool and lasting a lifetime—concepts like: Boys are smarter than girls; certain jobs are best for men and others for women; and even that girls are responsible for their own sexual assaults.

According to a recent report, w hich analyzed more than 150 articles, interviews, books, and other social-scientif ic research, gender stereotypes in movies and on TV show s are more than persistent; they're incredibly effective at teaching kids what the culture expects of boys and girls. What makes these messages stick—and harder for parents to counteract2. counteract: 抵制，对抗。—is that they're timed for the precise moment in kids' development when they're most receptive to their inf luence.

性别成见正在误导孩子。产生这种影响的，不仅仅是一部电影或者一台电视节目。孩子从学龄前起，就不停地接触着媒体落后的观念，一遍一遍受其感染，这种影响持续终生。这些观念包括：男孩比女孩更聪明；不同的工作适合不同的性别；甚至还有，女孩要为自己受到性骚扰负责。

最近的一份调查报告分析了150多篇文章、访谈、图书和其他社会科学研究，结果显示，性别成见不仅长期存在于影视节目中，而且在向孩子们传达出文化对于男女的（不同）定位方面影响惊人。这些信息会在孩子的思维里留存下来，父母很难改变，因为这段时间正好是孩子成长过程中最易受其影响的时候。

我们日常观看的电影和电视节目，嘻嘻哈哈，玩玩闹闹，看似无关意识形态，实则传达了制片人乃至整个社会认为理所当然的一些观念。比如，温柔细腻的男人会被称为“娘娘腔”，大大咧咧的女人则被叫做“女汉子”。这样的叫法背后，暗藏着一套“男人/女人原本应该怎样”的逻辑。而从小接受这种逻辑洗礼的孩子，在人生道路上往往会受其限制。这个时候，就需要明智的家长予以指导了。

Think of preschoolers w ho are just beginning to identify as boys or girls. The characters they see on TV often have an obvious masculine or feminine appearance, such as a superhero's big muscles or a princess' long hair. These characteristics also are often associated with specif ic traits—for example, being strong and brave or fearful and meek3. meek: 温顺的，谦和的。. Fast-forward to the tw een and teen years, when characters begin to wrestle with relationships, life, and job prospects.4. tween: 指年龄介于儿童（child）和青少年（teenager）之间的孩子，一般为10—14岁；teen: 即teenager，指13—19岁的青少年；wrestle with: 努力解决，艰难对付；prospect: 前景，前途。That “strong and brave” superhero becomes aggressive and hostile. That “fearful and meek” princess becomes submissive5. submissive: 顺从的，服从的。and weak.

For young audiences w ho absorb ideas from the media on how to behave and what to become, these characterizations6. characterization: （电影、戏剧或书本中的）人物塑造。can lead to false assumptions and harmful conclusions. These oversimplif ied characterizations play out in many

一些学龄前儿童在刚开始意识到自己是男孩还是女孩时，在电视上看到的就是要么非常男性化要么非常女性化的角色：超级英雄浑身肌肉，公主则长发飘飘。这些角色不仅在外貌上区别明显，性格上也泾渭分明：要么强壮勇敢，要么怯弱温顺。等这些角色迅速长到十几岁，开始处理人际关系、规划生活和工作的发展方向时，强壮勇敢的超级英雄就变得强势、不好惹，而怯弱温顺的公主则愈发顺从和软弱。

小观众们通过媒体习得行为方式并形成自我期待，而媒体的这种人物塑造很容易让人留下错误的印象，得出有害的结论。这种过于简单化的人物塑造以各种不w ays over and over. According to the report, a lifetime of view ing stereotypical media becomes so ingrained7. ingrained: 根深蒂固的。that it can ultimately affect kids' career choices, self-worth, relationships, and ability to achieve their full potential.

And lots of parents are concerned about these issues, too. We polled nearly 1,000 parents across the country and found that they believe the media has a signif icant inf luence on their kids, from how girls should look and behave to how seeing violence can affect boys' beliefs about themselves. Luckily, parents can assert control over the messages that Hollywood dishes out.8. assert: 主张，坚持；dish out:（尤指过分地）大量给予。Because, let's face it: Exaggerating the differences between boys and girls is just a ploy9. ploy: 计策，花招。to keep audiences entertained. It's not what we really want our kids to emulate10. emulate: 效仿，模仿。.

While there are movies and TV shows that defy11. defy: 对抗，反抗。gender stereotypes—and Hollyw ood is making some progress on this front—you're not going to be able to prevent your kids from seeing everything that sends the wrong message. And your kids probably like a lot of media that reinforces stereotypes. Fortunately, the most powerful messages kids absorb are from you. When you actively role-model gender equality, speak out against stereotypes, and challenge outdated ideas, kids w ill hear that loud and clear.

Also, you have a lot of control over your kids' media—mostly when they're little, but even as they grow. Choose quality media that ref lects your values, and talk to your 同的形式重复上演。前面提到的研究显示，如果孩子一直收看这种带有性别成见的媒体节目，便会形成根深蒂固的观念，连职业选择、自我价值、人际关系和潜能的发挥最终都会受到影响。

很多家长对此也忧心忡忡。我们调查了美国国内近一千名家长，发现他们认为媒体对孩子的影响很大——既教会女孩该如何打扮如何表现，也让观看暴力情节的男孩对自己有了不同的看法。幸运的是，对于好莱坞传达出来的大量信息，父母是可以施加影响的。因为我们知道，夸大男孩和女孩之间的差异只是媒体用来取悦观众的手段，我们并不希望孩子真的去效仿。

当然也有挑战固有性别成见的影视节目，好莱坞在这方面正在取得进步，但你依然没法保证孩子一点都不接触错误的信息。你的孩子也有可能偏偏喜欢那些强化性别成见的节目。所幸父母是孩子最强大的信息来源。当你积极地表现出性别平等以示榜样，对那些成见说不，并挑战过时的观念时，孩子也会清楚地明白你的立场。

不仅如此，你还可以控制孩子观看的媒体节目，尤其是在他们比较小的时候，当然长大了也未尝不可。选择那些能反映出你价值观的优质媒体，并且经常和孩子讨kids about the movies and TV shows they watch. Use these age-based strategies—from toddlerhood12to the teen years—to reach kids at the exact moment they need to hear them.

Age 2—6

At this age, kids:

＊ Learn their gender identities (that they're a boy or a girl).

＊ Learn stereotypes about activities, traits, toys, and skills associated with each gender.

＊ Begin gender-typed play (girls “clean the kitchen,” boys “mow the lawn”).

＊ Need to hear your input in specif ic, not abstract, terms.

Age 7—10

At this age, kids:

＊ Attribute certain qualities to men and women—for example, that w omen are more emotional and affectionate and men are more ambitious and aggressive.13. attribute sth. to sb.: 认为……具有（某一品质或特征）；affectionate: 充满深情的，有感情的。

＊ Associate specif ic occupations and academic subjects with each gender.

＊ Self-segregate14. segregate: 分离，分开。based on gender—boys want to play with boys, and girls want to play with girls.

＊ Want some choice over what they watch but still respect parents' input.论他们观看的影视节目。你可以采取不同的年龄策略——从幼年到青少年——来让孩子在最正确的时机接收需要的信息。

2—6岁

在这一年龄段，孩子会：

* 认识到自己的性别（知道自己是男孩还是女孩）。

* 了解不同性别在行为、性格、玩具、技能上所对应的成见。

* 在游戏中扮演不同性别角色（女孩“打扫厨房”，男孩“给草坪割草”）。

* 需要你给出具体而不抽象的意见。

7—10岁

在这一年龄段，孩子会：

* 赋予男人和女人不同的特质。比如，女人更加情绪化、更有爱心，男人则更有抱负、更加积极进取。

* 将不同的性别与不同的职业和学科联系起来。

* 根据性别为自己划分群体——男孩更愿意跟男孩玩，女孩更愿意跟女孩玩。

* 想自己决定看什么节目，但依然尊重家长的意见。

Age 11—13

At this age, kids:

＊ Feel self-conscious about physical changes and feel pressure to conform to cultural gender norms.

＊ Are intolerant of cross-gender mannerisms15. mannerism: 习惯性动作，习性。and behaviors.

＊ Are concerned about dating potential.

＊ Want to pick their own shows—and they're often shows intended for older kids.

＊ Are more interested in peers than parents.

Age 14—17

At this age, kids:

＊ Mix with other genders and become more f lexible about stereotypes.

＊ Become preoccupied with their future careers, as well as appearance.

＊ Want to learn gender-based expectations for how to behave in social communications.

＊ Choose what they want to watch and are willing to discuss abstract ideas (and don't w ant to be lectured to).

11—13岁

在这一年龄段，孩子会：

* 察觉出生理上的变化，对遵从文化中的性别规范感到有压力。

* 受不了与性别不符的做法和行为。

* 考虑有没有可能约会。

* 想自己挑选电视节目，并且喜欢看那些为年龄更大的孩子准备的节目。

* 更加关注同伴，而非父母。

14—17岁

在这一年龄段，孩子会：

* 与异性相处较好，不太看重性别成见。

* 将大部分精力放在外表和未来的事业上。

* 在社会交往中，想要知道如何表现出自己这个性别该有的样子。

* 自己决定要看的节目，并且愿意谈论抽象的概念（但不愿听人说教）。