The representation of females compared to males on television in general differs greatly. Females are often portrayed as deferent, frail, emotional, and sensitive. These are all characteristics that could cause chaos, commotion, and basic problems in people’s lives. Men, as a follow up, are portrayed as the problem solvers who are independent, assertive, and aggressive. This is the basic set up of reality dating shows. Women will cause many problems that the men will “solve” or mediate in the end.
In her article “Modern Day Age: Functional TV Dating Shows”, Bing Li of the University of Sydney, looks at the widespread population of reality dating shows from its origins in the 1960’s to modern day. While Li concentrates on the emergence of reality dating television in China, she applies the concept to other countries as well, specifically in the United States. She discusses the effect of this type of television in its reflection of societal values. This is useful in referencing society’s reception of reality television and how much the demonstration of female stereotypes actually affects audience members.
