Research paper. Social Sciences Essay Coursework Paper

Gender Inequality and Photography
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Gender inequality and photography
Introduction
Women photographers have been a significant component of photography since its inauguration in 1826. Although they are not credited with the invention, women have fulfilled critical roles alongside various pioneers; often taking and printing photographs for their husbands. American and British census shows that by the 1890s, 7000 of photographers were women, which was equivalent to 30% of the profession at the time. However, in 2015, research done by the World Press Photo showed that men dominate the field of photography by 85%. Despite women’s critical role in the advancement of photography and obvious gender inequalities, early research projects focused on how men used photography to expose social and environmental injustices while portraying women as second class citizens. To a great extent, these pieces of research mainly highlighted the basic elements of how photography and its perception has been more or less defined by gender. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perspective of men and women on photography, employment inequalities in the field of photography, and how women are portrayed in photographs.
The perspective of men and women on photography
Gender perspectives and even stereotypes plays a significant role in the way photography is taken by men and women. It forms a basis that everything to do with photography lies, including a greater aspect on the same. While both men and women cherish photographs, their perception of shooting and importance are very different. Women view photography as a combination of art and science. Do an even greater extent, they perceive it as an exercise of very much aesthetic value that helps define their various phases of life experiences and moods. This perception among women originates from Gerda Taro, a pioneer photojournalist, who was known for capturing emotional situations using intimate styles (Clancy & Dollinger, 2013). Consequently, the artistic and scientific perception of women draws them to photographs related to women and children, in such a way that it defines the whole matriarch aspect.
In contrast, male photographers perceive photography as any job that generates income. This implies that they see it as an exercise that can help in them in earning a living,in addition to the overall aspect of doing it for fun or artistry. The fact that they take photography as a real opportunity to make money makes them be quite daring to get the best out of it,in the ost dangerous of places. As a result, they are willing to visit daring places such as war zones, extremely risky geographical terrains, and military camps just to take pictures. Baru (2018) argues that the difference in perception is advanced by gender-driven issues in society. For instance, female models perform differently in front of male photographers than they do in front of female ones.
Such a notion exposes the gender wiring between these two groups of people, and how they are expected to behave under certain scenarios. It sort of highlights the general conditioning of individuals along the lines of gender. There is a certain perception that is ...