TV in the 90's

I had this article for discussion leading and it was really interesting. Although the article was more statics than writing, it showed how media and society views gender roles. The article dealt with race and social class, as well as gender inequality. Women face many obstacles on TV shows that are also the same in real life. There are less single mothers on shows, even though there are many women who face this reality everyday. There are also double standards when it comes to marital status for women on TV. Like real life, it is more acceptable for a man to be single on a show then it is for a woman. There is even more inequality for women of color. Women who are black and hispanic are not equally portrayed on TV, and usually play race specific roles and are rarely ever the main character. Although since the 1970's the roles women play on TV have become more prominent, there is still a huge gap between females and males in important roles. These roles include jobs inside the home and outside of it as well. Families no longer are like the family in "Leave it to Beaver" so why does the media keep portraying them as if they are?

Source:
Signorielli, Nancy, and Susan Kahlenberg. "Television's World of Work in the
Nineties." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 45.1 (2001): 4-22.