Formal vs. informal use of television and sex-role stereotyping in Hong Kong

This study examines the relationship between media use and gender stereotyp ing in Hong Kong, where Western liberal thoughts meet Chinese traditional a nd patriarchal norms. Although mainstream media studies center on the gener al impact of television on sex-role stereotyping this study distinguishes t he formal rise of television for information from the informal use for ente rtainment, the latter of which is often neglected but the impact is far mor e encompassing. A baseline survey on gender equality commissioned by the Ho ng Kong Government with 2,020 successful face-to-face interviews was conduc ted and the sample was of the Equal Probability of Selection Method (EPSEM) type provided by the Census and Statistics Department. The participants ar e all Chinese from all class strata (51.5% below HK$10,000; 39.4% between H K$10,000 and HK$24,999; and 19.1% above HK$25,000 with US$1 similar to HK$7 .8). The BSRI measurement was modified to gauge the gender-role stereotype. The results show that despite influence by Western culture, gender stereot yping of the public in Hong Kong still exists. In particular, the self-repo rted functional television for entertainment (rather than for information) as well as exposure to entertainment programs on television have reinforced the female stereotypes, and females have a lower cultural awareness toward male stereotypes.