The incidence of violence against women portrayed on television increased 120 percent during the past five years compared to a 2 percent increase in overall violence, according to a report by the Parents Television Council (PTC).
The report, released Oct. 28, said storylines depicting violence against women are being shown more graphically and in ways that have not been seen in the history of television.
Included in the increase are depictions of teenage girls as victims, the use of female victimization as a punch line in comedy series, and the depiction of intimate partner violence, the watchdog group said.
Tim Winter, president of the PTC, said the research indicates a disturbing new trend where violence against women is trivialized and even humorous, contributing to a desensitized atmosphere in which such behavior is perceived as acceptable.
“Just last week, actress Nicole Kidman testified before the Congress that Hollywood probably has contributed to violence against women by portraying them as weak sex objects,” said Melissa Henson, the PTC’s director of communications and public education.
“We all must pay attention to the fact that this is a problem in our society. The fact is that children are influenced by what they see on TV, and that certainly includes media violence.”
In the 200-plus hours of primetime programming on the four major broadcast networks that PTC examined, researchers found that the most frequent type of violence was beating, followed by credible threats of violence, shooting, rape, stabbing and torture.
In 19 percent of the portrayals, the women died.
Television shows including “Crossing Jordan,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Heroes,” “Prison Break,” “Family Guy” and “American Dad” were given as examples of entertainment that depicts violence against women.
The PTC said in the report that it would be premature to assert that violence against women is the new norm on television or that it has reached the same epidemic proportions as all depictions of violence on television, but the study did reveal an emerging pattern that should be addressed.
“Countless millions of dollars are invested annually at the local, state, national and international levels to reduce violence against women and to lessen its impact on society, but today’s television programming may be undermining those efforts,” the study said.
Winter said the study serves as “a clarion call to all Americans about a critical issue with dire consequences,” and he urged networks, advertisers, elected officials and the viewing public to stand up against the trend.
“In a country where more than 60 percent of children have been exposed to violence in their daily lives, according to recent research by the Justice Department, we must take the utmost care not to normalize violent behavior — especially violence against women — through our television programming,” Winter said.
To view the full report, visit parentstv.org. (BP)
Share with others: