TV Violence Against Women Has Increased Dramatically, Survey Shows

The Parents Television Council has released their October 2009 survey illustrating a troublesome increase in violence against women on TV shows.

Here are some highlights from the findings in "Women in Peril: A Look at TV's Disturbing New Storyline Trend":
-There's been a 400 percent increase in the depiction of teen girls as victims across all networks from 2004 to 2009.

-Incidences of violence against women on the four main TV channels -ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC-rose 120 percent between 2004 and 2009.

-Overall violence of other types during the same time frame increased only 2 percent.

-The most frequent type of violence shown is beating (29 percent), followed by credible threats of violence (18 percent), shooting (11 percent), rape (8 percent), stabbing (6 percent), and torture (2 percent);

-Violence against women tends to be depicted rather than just described, and that of the above violent storylines, the acts resulted in the woman's death 19 percent of the time.

-Bodies are being shown close-up, with special effects carefully recreating blood, stab wounds, long slashes, etc.

In my previous report for Associated Content, Boys and Sex... statistics are given from a 2010 Survey conducted with teen boys for Seventeen Magazine, a popular teen girls' publication.

In that study, over three-quarters of teen boys polled stated there is too much pressure from society to have sex; due at least in part to being influenced by pornographic images. Seventy-one percent of the boys report having received nude or semi-nude "sexting" (phone or internet photos) from girls.

Both studies conclude that the acts of violence along with explicit sex seen on TV may contribute to young people viewing aggression and violence against women as normal and acceptable.

The increase in violence doesn't stop with TV:
The graphic violence against women is increasing in Hollywood films as well. Actress Jessica Alba's character gets beaten so badly in her 2010 movie, The Killer Inside Me, that Alba herself walked out of a screening in January.

In the movie, Alba plays a woman involved in a sadomasochistic relationship, who enjoys being beaten. An NYDailyNews.com report states that the movie is so violent, the director was confronted by audience members at another screening, asking why so much violence was necessary.

The pornographic film industry also relies greatly on scenes depicting violent or forceful sex between men and women or same-sex female encounters. Not all the women involved are doing so willingly.

See Associated Content contributor Josh Givens' article about a new cable TV project, "Footnote" that aims to expose the exploitation of women in porn-a business now making over three billion dollars per year.

Earlier versions of this article by Ms. Young and the article by Mr. Givens can also be seen at The Underground Online Magazine.

Sources:
-Jessica Alba leaves screening of The Killer Inside Me: Sherryl Connelly, NY Daily News.com, 1/26/2010: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2010/01;/26/2010-01-26_jessica_alba_leaves_screening_of_the_killer_inside_me_stirring_outrage_at_sundan.html
-Parents Television Council survey:
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/womeninperil/study.pdf;-Previous Associated Content articles as linked.