The media plays an important role in shaping (gender) roles and behaviour. The media shapes perceptions and attitudes regarding gender roles. There are several differences between the genders in television representation:Number of charactersWomen are underrepresented in television compared to men. This is consistent across several types of programmes, types of media, in video games and across race. Physical appearance Media characters are thinner than individuals in the actual population, especially for women. For women, attention is called to attractiveness and sexuality. Female characters are typically younger than male characters. White women are objectified more often than other characters. Domestic rolesMedia suggests that marriage is more important for women and women have lower-status occupational roles outside the house and were responsible for more childcare in the media. Women are more often depicted in roles associated with interpersonal relationships. A maternal role for (white) women is emphasized. Males are portrayed as more appropriate recipients of affectionate expressions. The media emphasizes traditional gender roles. Occupational rolesMale characters are more likely to be explicitly presented as having a job outside the home than female characters. Female characters are equally likely to be found in professional occupations as males. Female characters often cross the gender-boundary in occupational roles. However, male characters are more often restricted to the professional scene. Women are more likely to be portrayed as having low-skill occupational roles and women of colour are less likely to be shown having a job outside the home than white women. Males are more likely to be associated with computers and ICT.There are more women in health- and beauty-related and household products in advertisements but not in other types of advertisements. Women characters are more likely to receive appearance-related comments...