Trapped by Gender: The Paradoxical Portrayal Of Gender And Mental Illness In Anglophone North American Magazines: 1983-2012

Abstract

Synopsis This paper examines the gendered portrayal of mental illness in popular North American magazine articles from 1983-2012. The method used is a qualitative content analysis focused on the similarities and differences in the representation of mental illness in stories about men as compared to women. The method is designed to explicitly answer the following questions of the magazine articles about mental illness among men and women; (1) what is the mental illness discussed; (2) of what is it said to consist; (3) what is said to cause it and; (4) what ought to be done about it. The findings indicate that mental illness is portrayed as a gendered problem. It re-inscribes gender based oppression and suffering through the linking of mental illness with hegemonic masculinities and emphasized femininities. Sociological explanations for this portrayal are offered and the pragmatic consequences of this portrayal are discussed.