Framing gender in Moroccan contemporary pop music videos: A content analysis of gender portrayals

Abstract

This study provides a qualitative analysis of gender portrayals in Moroccan pop music videos. Taking into account previous studies that examined the powerful influence of media in creating social and cultural impacts, the present study explores the extent to which gender is stereotypically represented on YouTube music videos within the Moroccan context, a topic that has been rarely tackled. Given this, the study employs content analysis to systematically examine gender representations in both the visual and verbal aspects of six Moroccan popular music videos that were first released on YouTube in 2020. Results have shown that most of the selected music videos contribute to the reproduction of gender roles and stereotypes through both the lyrics and the visual representations of gender. It has been also demonstrated that female singers are more likely to implement gendered messages in their music videos than male singers who, in turn, attempt to challenge some of the most common gender stereotypes, by normalizing men crying, nurturing, and expressing their emotions in public.