AQA Media Studies for A Level: Revision Guide

87 6 Media representations The male dominance in the professional and social spheres meant that men had more power in all areas of culture and society. They had more freedom, more choices and more independence. Women’s role in the domestic sphere made them dependent on men and denied them autonomy. Different feminist theories raise different issues, but the starting point for feminist analysis is the patriarchal nature of the culture and society. In a patriarchal system, men are over-represented in positions of power and the media can be seen to re ect this in the way it represents both men and women in media products. Fewer women than men have the power to create media products and Mulvey identi es the idea of the male gaze – the way the media creates representations that re ect masculine desires and points of view. Write a de nition of patriarchy. Patriarchy is: 6.5 How is the Mustang being presented using the male gaze? 6.6 Targeting women