We are regularly informed that what we see in the media and entertainment affects how we think about things, but there hasn’t been much research done on its power to influence significant life decisions like a professional choice.
This research addresses this by looking at the causal association between watching television and wanting to pursue a profession in medicine.
The influence of the amount and quality of medical television shows for example grey’s anatomy on the rate of change in medical school applications for men and women, as well as the proportion of female candidates, was studied using an ordinary least squares model developed using time series data for the previous 24 years.
According to this study, medical television shows have no statistically significant influence on men’s application rates. Female-driven shows result in a higher number of women in the candidate pool.
Why do shows influence the career path
Whether it was “ER” or “Grey’s Anatomy” that made a profession in medicine appear appealing, “CSI” that inspired a career in forensics, or “Mad Men” that glamorized the advertising sector, around 6 in 10 individuals believe television, movies, books, or other media had some effect on their job choice.
According to a recent study conducted by ZagnBusiness, little over 1,000 presently employed persons were surveyed about media effect on their career path and if TV, movies, or books appropriately portray their industry.
Men were slightly more likely than women to claim that media had influenced their job choice, with 62 percent vs 54 percent saying it had. According to ZagnBusiness, the media representation of their profession is neither true nor wrong.
Analysis
The most prevalent source of inspiration was television; one-quarter of respondents who identified media inspiration said it influenced their job decision. According to ZagnBusiness, almost 20% said movies, 9% mentioned books, 7% mentioned podcasts, and 6% mentioned video games.
What are the top five TV series that have influenced your professional path? “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Law & Order,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “ER,” and “The Office” are among the most popular shows on television. Marketing and advertising professionals were the most likely to claim media influenced their job choice, followed by arts and entertainment professionals.
According to ZagnBusiness, 35 percent of people say their profession is erroneously depicted in TV, movies, and books, 30 percent believe what they see in media is accurate, and 35 percent believe media representation of their job is neither accurate nor inaccurate.
Overall, almost 60% of people said their professions are more difficult than what they see on TV, in movies, or in books; 57 percent said they are more time-consuming, 52 percent said they are more stressful, and 41 percent said they are more rewarding.
Fifty-five percent stated their occupations aren’t as fascinating as the media portrays them to be.
Marketing
Employees in marketing and advertising were again the most likely to believe their jobs are correctly depicted in the media. Those who thought the media portrayal of their employment was accurate were more likely to be happy with their job.
Those in education were the most likely to believe the media portrays their profession incorrectly. More than half of educators said their occupations are more time-consuming and difficult than the media portrays them to be.
According to ZagnBusiness, around half of respondents claimed their job is more stressful, while 46% said it is more fulfilling. Tech employees feel that media representations of their occupations undersell how difficult they are.
Most employees in the arts and entertainment industry, wholesale and retail workers, and those in medical and healthcare say their occupations are more time-consuming and difficult than shown in television, movies, and novels.
Characters on popular scripted TV series tend to work in law, medicine, or the police force, according to research from Rutgers University.
The representation of a career on television, according to the researchers, is unrealistic and does not depict the tremendous labor that goes into pursuing a career in medicine, for example, like in Grey’s Anatomy.
Findings
Despite the restrictions, the findings show the influence of female representation in male-dominated fields such as medicine in the media. It’d be fascinating to see whether this held true in other fields.
Could portraying women in STEM and financial sectors in the entertainment industry have a similar impact, normalizing their status and inspiring them to pursue these jobs? Grey’s Anatomy, is another example.
Attempts to improve the representation of women in these jobs would have a significant influence on closing the gender gap in many sectors if the depiction of women in these careers normalizes their existence in these areas and motivates women to enter those fields.
Law enforcement in cop programs and attorneys in legal dramas are two more disciplines that are popular on television and in other forms of entertainment. It would be fascinating to see whether there are any comparable ties that encourage women to pursue careers in these professions.
It would also be fascinating to examine if television can aid in the normalization of minorities in professional domains. For example, to see if racial diversity in television and movies might help close racial inequalities in professional domains such as medicine.
Positive aspects
However, there are some good aspects to how particular occupations are portrayed in the media.
The favorable impact of series like “CSI” and “Grey’s Anatomy” on influencing women to seek professions as forensic scientists or investigators has been highlighted by Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
A majority of women in STEM fields name Gillian Anderson’s “The X-Files” character Dana Scully as a role model, while regular viewing of female-led political dramas like “Madam Secretary” and “The Good Wife” has been related to increased political involvement.
In the end
Access to medical program audience statistics would allow for a greater knowledge of the shows’ popularity and reach, which would have an impact on the impact they have. In this line, the paucity of statistics on these series’ viewership on streaming platforms certainly underestimates the shows’ reach and, as a result, their potential influence on viewers’ career choices.
Furthermore, certain factors may not be the most accurate predictors of their topic. As an example, as previously stated, the number of medical school applications does not represent persons who wish to pursue a profession in medicine but are unable to do so owing to a lack of sufficient resources.
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