Analysis of the Institutional Artifact
Artifact for analysis is a television sitcom “Sex and the City” that premiered in 1998
My focus is on season 1 and 2
Three concepts that I have picked from the readings on gender in institutions that I believe apply to this draft are:
- Social Constructivism
- Gender representation
- Gender stereotypes
The concepts help highlight how women are perceived in the society. Although I initially thought that the artifact was a source of entertainment, looking at it again from the eye of the identified concepts helps bring out the societal problems regarding portrayal of women in the society. As a television series that gained a large TV audience since its first airing in 1998, it became clear that such popularity is also closely linked with how it represents our understanding of gender. The level of promiscuity of the women, obsession with beauty, and the urge to depend no a man shows the struggles to shake a way social construct on what a woman should or should not do. The men in the television series are also seen to be domineering over women, a fact that brings out the stereotype as well as the gender representation in the society. The gender relations, which only served as entertainment, was actually demonstrating how men should be in control, with the women being beautiful to seek approval from men. The men are also portrayed as being sharp when it comes to decision making and are more in control of their finances as opposed to women.
Women that try to defy the gender bases roles such as Miranda is continuously fought and told to take care of her affairs at home instead of going out to work.
After connecting the artifact with the gender constructs, I realized how far the society has changed over the years. I even did some research to understand how the role of women has changed over the years. Although, was just surfing the internet, I came across some substantial information including that of the recent changes that allowed women to take on men’s jobs.
I was also able to examine the word and I saw how men have continued to dominate the world more or less as depicted in the artifact. For instance, there are very few women leaders that have managed to become presidents or prime ministers of their countries. It highlights the systemic discrimination against women and the jobs they cannot engage in. The artifact also portrays what is common in the social media environment where women are expected to look beautiful and deserving of special treatment from men. In a worst-case scenario, women are treated as objects to please men. A recent example was the derogatory remarks made by President Trump prior to his election on how he treats women, most of which is similar to the scenes in the artifact. Although the world has made tremendous strides in promoting gender equality, a lot need to be done when it comes to promoting women in institutions. Women also need to take a central role in championing for change in the society.
This is a great artifact – in fact many people have analyzed it very compelling ways. I encourage you to google for inspiration. Think carefully when you write the draft about the words you chose and how you construct it. Return to the assignment description if you need to.
For example, you wrote, “The level of promiscuity of the women, obsession with beauty, and the urge to depend no a man…” You could state this in more affirmative terms such as “The women in Sex and the City exhibit sexual freedom, use fashion to express themselves, and are independent with their own careers, bank accounts, and homes.”
Hello Kulah,
I love this show and it kind of inspires me to be more independent in different ways. Women can’t depend on men all the time to survive but they can do it themselves. I believe that the female audience, Fashion, books, and media had a huge impact on this series and made it very popular.
I’m looking forward to your final draft and your analysis of the Social Constructivism, Gender representation, and Gender stereotypes in this series.
you go 🙂
Hello Kulah,
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. I actually never watched “Sex and the City” but I definitely know the women’s role in the show is to have fun and flaunt what they have to get a man’s attention. what made you choose this topic? I can’t wait for you to write the final draft in putting all the concepts altogether.
Hey Kulah! This a great idea, love it. I look forward to reading your paper. You literally hit the nail on the head!
Hello Kulah,
This is my favorite show! I watch the reruns all the time, even though I’ve seen each episode about a thousand times. I love their sexual freedom. Women are expected not to like or talk about sex as much as men, and we all know that is bull. This show represents many women. The characters in the show go through many trials and tribulations that many women can relate to.I think this is a great example to also put emphases on women being independent, having sexual freedom, and embracing their emotions/femininity; even if women handle things differently than men.