Out of focus: Images of women and men in newspaper photographs

Abstract

This study examined the roles portrayed by men and women in newspaper photographs. The photographs in the 184 issues of the four Connecticut newspapers studied yielded 8960 representations of men and women. Photographs were coded for page placement and the roles portrayed by each individual. The author found that on most pages and in most roles, photos of men far outnumber those of women. While there is some indication that the range of roles portrayed is less limited for both women and men, it is also clear that the roles in which women and men are portrayed are clustered stereotypically: professional and sports for men and spouse for women. Suggestions for methodological refinements that might help clarify the extent and nature of stereotyping also are presented.