Stereotyping

Stereotyping - Introduction

stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.

But stereotypes can be problematic. They can:

• reduce a wide range of differences in people to simplistic categorizations
• transform assumptions about particular groups of people into "realities"
• be used to justify the position of those in power
• perpetuate social prejudice and inequality

More often than not, the groups being stereotyped have little to say about how they are represented.

This section comments on common media stereotypes and examines some of the root causes of stereotypical portrayals, including lack of diversity behind the scenes in newsrooms and film studios. The section explores the impact of stereotyping on self-image and the development of attitudes among the young, and it showcases efforts to counter stereotyping with alternative programming. It also outlines diversity guidelines for the broadcasting industry, as well as government policies to promote fair and equitable portrayals in Canadian media.