In American culture today, women continue the struggle to identify what their roles should be in society. Our culture has sent mixed messages to the modern woman, creating a sense of unease in an already confusing and stressful world. Although women today are encouraged more than ever to be independent, educated and successful, they are often ashamed for doing just that. Career-minded women are often at risk of being labeled bossy, unfeminine, or selfish for competing in many career paths that were once dominated by men. A medium as popular in our culture as television continues to have significant influences on how people should aspire to live their lives. Viewers develop connections with recognizable characters and relationship dynamics shown on their favorite shows. Fictional characters and relationships can ultimately influence the viewer's fashion sense, social and political opinion, and attitudes toward gender norms. Since the days of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie, where women were commonly portrayed as captivating and mischievous housewives, television shows have evolved to reflect real-life women who were becoming increasingly independent, educated and career-oriented over the decades subsequent ones. . New television genres are introduced, such as workplace comedy, in which women are not only career-oriented, but ultimately move into positions of power. In 1970, CBS premiered a new television series called The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was by no means considered the first sitcom about the “working woman” on prime time, but it is “generally recognized as the first to assert that work was not just a prelude to marriage, or… half of the article… that much of the discussion centers on women within fictional workplace sitcoms such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murphy Brown, 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation, I will examine how gender stratification in the fictional realm is a reflection of the real-life gender stratification that continues to this day. I will examine case studies by reputable scholars that reflect the gender preference of people in positions of power at work and the reasons why. I will also look at academic journals that discuss gender role expectations and how women are shamed or stigmatized for succeeding at tasks that are generally masculine to me. This section will offer an explanation of why to be successful, career-oriented; Women in positions of power are still preferred to remain in traditional gender roles, both in real life and on television.