Recent Update!

Recently I have watched a few different episodes from the television programs I have selected in my last post. Again these shows consist of:

• Leave it to Beaver
• Brady Bunch
• Family Ties
• Full House
• Family Guy 
• Modern Family

So far, I have been disappointed with episodes I have watched from these programs because  they did not really incorporate any sexist stereotypes within the episode. I think I am going to have to change my original idea and instead have to watch as many episodes I can until I reach my set goal of 3 shows per program. Hopefully as I continue this research it will work out!

Over the Last 50 Years...

For my archival research, I am going to watch episodes of the television programs listed below in order to see how sexist viewpoints and stereotypes have evolved in the last 50 years. I specifically chose shows that involved family life to see how the roles have changed between man and woman, husband and wife, in the home. Also, I am very curious to see how the children of the family act and think regarding sexist beliefs. For an example, if the son in the family has recently witnessed a girl in his school getting picked on for being the only girl on the football team, would he join the other boys and mock her or stick up for her? For my research, I will watch at least 3 episodes of each program (in year order) on my television, http://www.youtube.com/, and http://www.hulu.com/. If these shows do not appear on any of these options, I will find another way on another website which I will update on my next blog post. 

I predict that I will discover that the programs from the older generations portray women to be inferior to men, as they are stay at home mothers who care for just the family. Over time, women have evolved to become more independent and intelligent leaders, gaining more freedom over their lives. I believe that men will still be portrayed as the strong member of the family as they a they make the majority of the money for the family. However, I feel that men and husbands have evolved to become more emphatic towards their wives and are not as critical towards them. In other words, I feel that husbands have become more understanding with their wives and make more of an effort to worry about their wive's ideas and feelings. Concerning the children of the family, I am not really sure what to expect at all!

• 1960's: Leave it to Beaver     
• 1970's: Brady Bunch   
• 1980's: Family Ties
• 1990's: Full House
• 2000's: Family Guy 
• 2010's: Modern Family

Archival Research

The research method I have chosen is archival research. This method focuses on seeing a broader view of a topic by looking into the history of it. For my topic of sexism, I am using this research method to show how television has evolved over the past 50 years. For an example, woman have always been portrayed to be stay at home mothers who are constantly caring for the children, cleaning the house, cooking the family's meals, etc. On the other hand, men have always been depicted as earning the money for a family by working a job. Have these gender roles reversed or changed today? Also, have new roles and stereotypes evolved from what is on television today rather than the pasts'?