Media Representations Of Women Research Articles

‘Can women have it all?’ Transitions in media representations of Jacinda Ardern’s leadership and identity by a global newsroom

ABSTRACT The paper examines changing media representations of Jacinda Ardern, former Aotearoa New Zealand Prime Minister, from the global broadcaster, BBC News Online, across three key milestones in the politician’s career: her appointment, re-election and resignation. Our socio-semantic analysis of this representation demonstrates how the media intersect her professional identity with age, gender, social class, and later, her identity as a mother. Whilst earlier coverage of Ardern’s career praises her successfully reconciling these aspects of her personal, social and professional identities, later coverage implies that ‘having it all’ was never really possible longer term. We argue that the visibility of this discourse, and the focus on intersectional aspects of Ardern’s personal and social identities, leads to her resignation being positively evaluated as her ‘finally’ succumbing and committing to the ‘natural’ inevitabilities of heterosexual family life. The article considers what such representation means for Ardern and women politicians and leaders more broadly, and contextualises these findings in relation to existing research on media representations of women in politics and leadership. Finally, we also consider the value of a more longitudinal approach to tracking the cumulative effects of the representation of social actors and groups.

Representation Of Women In The Writing And Pictures Of The Back Of The Truck: An Analysis Of Sexist Language

Communication media has an essential role in shaping public perception of women. However, the representation of women in the media often has a negative impact. For example, the writing and pictures behind the truck often contain messages that demean women through objectifying diction and visuals. This study aims to analyze the representation of women in truck visual media and shows that the media reinforces gender stereotypes and limits women's potential in society. A qualitative research approach is applied to explore natural phenomena through triangulation techniques and inductive and descriptive data analysis. Identifying key informants is crucial in this method, with selection based on their level of involvement in the social situation being studied. The researcher conducted direct interviews with five informants who have relevant knowledge and experience, using the Critical Discourse Analysis theory that underlies this study to explore how women are represented in the tailgate of trucks in the form of writing and drawings. The findings of this study reveal that the sexist language in the tailgate of a car reflects the view that women are (1) sexual objects, (2) inanimate objects, (3) vulnerable figures who need sexual attention, and (4) weak figures. The representation of women in the writings and images on the back of the truck not only strengthens the patriarchal power structure in Indonesian society but also highlights the complexity of the interaction between language, culture, and power.

Melukis Kembali Penggambaran Citra Gender dalam Media Massa

In Netflix’s 'Ice Cold,' which delves into the murder of Jessica by Mirna, she is often praised and forgiven for her beauty. The documentary even states that the killer is a handsome figure. Women seem to be forced to conform to the image of modern women, who should hold feminist paradigms. Digital television content, as one of the mass media platforms, often portrays women as limited to the role of 'subordinates.' The existence of women is frequently reduced solely to their physical dimensions. It is as if advertisements and television programs would feel empty without the presence of women celebrated as objects. This perspective eventually becomes ingrained in the minds of modern women, largely through the influence of mass media, while commercial demands and the race for the highest ratings are the primary reasons why women continue to be used as complementary objects in various media content.This research employs Roland Barthes' Semiotics to explore how religious education, the male gaze, mass media, and societal views interact in shaping the contemporary perception of the female body. Ironically, the excessive use of patriarchal media has made women feel more liberated to express themselves and actualize their potential in various aspects of life. In this context, elements of religious education play a crucial role, as some Abrahamic religious teachings promote gender hierarchies that can influence society's perception of women and result in gender inequality. The concept of the male gaze is also relevant in this analysis, as it refers to how the male perspective dominates the understanding and representation of women in media, often reducing women to objects of male sexual desire. This research can offer valuable insights into the interconnection of these perspectives and women's potential for increased self-expression within patriarchal-dominated environments.

A Feminist Reading on the Exploration of Female Identity and Sexuality in Sri Lankan Cinema: A Case Study of Asoka Handagama’s Selected Works

Since the emergence of the feminist movement, the distortion of feminine identity and sexuality is profoundly discoursed in relation to literature and other genres of art. This research has endeavoured to articulate how female identity and sexuality is portrayed in Sri Lankan cinema with reference to selected work of veteran filmmaker, Asoka Handagama. The sample comprises of the award-winning movies, “Thani Thatuwen Piyambanna” (Flying with One Wing, 2002), “Aksharaya” (A Letter of Fire, 2005) and “Aege Aesa Aga” (Let Her Cry, 2016) which features three significant female characters and their plight in patriarchal society. The researcher has deployed Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory which examines the voyeuristic and scopophilic representation of women in media along with the Lacanian and Freudian concepts of gaze as the theoretical approach of the study. The research was predominantly conducted utilizing the qualitative approach while textual analysis and interviews focusing on the director of the selected films, critics and academics were the major tools of primary data collection. The secondary data was collected through research publications, newspaper articles, the internet and magazines. The hermeneutic approach was deployed in interpreting the sample and the collected data focusing on the connection between the selected sample and the broader discourses. Even though Laura Mulvey exemplifies that women are always being projected as passive objects in cinema, the findings of the study reveal that the selected sample represents the female figure as a more assertive and emphatic entity regardless of the persistent patriarchal norms.

Exploring the Impact of Women's Presence in Afghan Media: An Examination of the Current Situation

The representation of women in media plays a crucial role in shaping societal norms and perceptions. This study examines the impact of women's presence in Afghan media on societal dynamics, exploring the challenges, opportunities, and perceptions surrounding this issue. Drawing on data collected from surveys conducted with 40 female employees in media organizations, the study analyzes participant demographics, perceptions of women's representation in Afghan media platforms, challenges faced by women in the industry, and the perceived impact of women's presence on societal attitudes towards gender equality and empowerment. Results indicate a prevailing sentiment of dissatisfaction regarding the adequacy of women's representation in Afghan media, with gender-based discrimination, societal pressure, and safety concerns identified as significant challenges. However, participants also recognize the positive impact of women's participation in media on reshaping societal dynamics and promoting gender equality. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address systemic inequalities and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in Afghan media. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the role of media in advancing gender equality and empowerment in Afghan society.

Sexism and the Commodification of Women in Media: A Critical Analysis

This study aims to investigate the pervasive issue of sexism within media and its role in the commodification of women. Through a critical lens, we seek to unravel the underlying mechanisms that perpetuate harmful stereotypes and objectification of women in media products, ultimately shedding light on the implications for societal perceptions and gender equality.
 Utilizing a comprehensive research approach, we systematically analyzed various media content, including advertisements, films, and television shows. Content analysis was employed to identify patterns, representations, and messaging surrounding women in media products.
 The study reveals a disturbing prevalence of sexism and the commodification of women in various forms of media. We found that women are frequently objectified, reduced to superficial attributes, and often portrayed in subordinate roles. These depictions not only reinforce harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the perpetuation of gender inequality and discrimination. The study underscores the urgent need for media producers, consumers, and policymakers to recognize the detrimental impact of such portrayals and work collaboratively to promote more diverse, empowering, and equitable representations of women in media. Doing so can contribute to a more inclusive and just society.

Contesting feminism: pedagogical problems in classical Hollywood cinema, feminist theory, and media studies

ABSTRACT In this essay, I explore the pasts and futures of teaching and researching classical Hollywood cinema in feminist media studies. After outlining some of the problems associated with Laura Mulvey’s influential work on the male gaze, I consider subsequent feminist responses to Mulvey’s work. In particular, I focus on the attempts by post-Mulvey feminist film scholars to reject in their critical practice Mulvey’s conclusion that classical Hollywood cinema is anathema to feminist progress vis-à-vis media representations of women while accepting the theoretical premise that classical Hollywood cinema is inherently misogynistic and patriarchally corrupt at its core. On this point, I discuss the controversial clashes between male and female scholars over this disjunction between theory and criticism. With reference to the films of Otto Preminger, I demonstrate the probative value of an inclusive feminist media studies praxis in which, on the one hand, theory informs rather than distorts criticism, and, on the other hand, male and female scholars are able to assess the contributions—past, present, and future—of men to the project of feminism.

МЕДИЈСКА МАРГИНАЛИЗАЦИЈА ПОЛИТИЧАРКИ У СРБИЈИ

Despite an increase in the number of women in politics, Serbia’s political space remains predominantly masculinized. In addition to reflecting the androcentricity of the political scene, the media image actively contributes to its creation by marginalizing female politicians. They are significantly less represented than male politicians, and when they are, gender stereotypes, sexism, hate speech, and misogyny characterize media practice. This paper aims to determine the quantitative representation of women in the political debate “Word for word”, which is broadcast on the public media service, as well as the key subjects of the debates in which female politicians participate. Quantitative and qualitative content analyses are applied in the paper. The research corpus consists of 21 political debates broadcast from January to November 2021. The research confirmed both hypotheses. A significant disproportion between the media representation of women and men politicians was found since the share of men among the participants in the debates was 78.30%. Female politicians are invisible in topics such as relations in the region, defense and the military, human rights, while the only thematic areas in which they are equally represented as politicians are topics typically associated with women - social policy and education.

Mistresses, mothers, and headscarves: media representations of women in corruption scandals in Indonesia

ABSTRACT This article engages with the ways through which women were discursively represented in media reports on corruption cases in Indonesia. Moving away from the traps of universalism and essentialism in conceptualising the causes and consequences of corruption, we unpack the dominant views and contextualise corruption in local-historical perspectives. Our main argument is that gendered meanings around women and corruption in Indonesian news media were constituted through the dominant religious and socio-political discourses; and the consequences were the (re)productions of stereotypical and simplistic meanings around women and corruption. Employing critical discourse analysis on 547 selected Indonesian newspaper articles reporting corruption scandals from 2010 to 2020, we identified three key discourses through which meanings around corruption and women were constituted, namely, a discourse of promiscuous sexuality, a discourse of moral ibuism, and a discourse of Islamic piety. The analysis drew attention to the importance of situating corruption and gendered media representation as an intersecting problem embedded in the social, political, religious, and historical contexts; as opposed to the dominant universal, objective, and positivist approaches to corruption studies.

News media representations of women who kill their newly born children

This paper presents a first quantitative analysis of language in media reports of neonaticide and a comparative examination of language use within the reports. One thousand twenty-seven Austrian print media reports from 2004 to 2014 were retrieved; after exclusion, 331 were analysed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. After a preliminary analysis, a comparative analysis was carried out between reports on the Graz case and all other cases. The preliminary analysis revealed that a majority of media reports were related to one repeat neonaticide case (Graz) despite not being clinically different from other cases identified for the same period. The comparative linguistic analysis shows some statistically significant differences relating to the domains of emotional words (less words of anxiety, sadness) and family and in the category of insight and certainty (more words). The unexpected media attention on the Graz case and the ensuing verdict, which was in contradiction with the Austrian infanticide act, might have been influenced by the way language was used by journalists and the media. The authors suggest guidelines on sensitive media reporting are required.

Muslim Women Representation in Zoya Hijab Video Advertisement

Advertisement as a tool of marketing usually displays the best quality of products to be advertised through the best portrayal of the products and roles shown by actresses. Women's representation in media is often related to gender roles in society. Gender stereotypes often determine how men and women should behave in society. Our review of the previous research shows that there is an inconsistency in the representation of women in media and advertisements. The current research collected data from Zoya Hijab video advertisements to reveal Muslim women's representation in the advertisements. The data analysis was conducted by applying multimodal analysis using Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2006) visual grammar and Halliday’s (1994) systemic functional linguistics. The research results show the portrayal of Muslim women in terms of physical appearance, occupation, behavior, and traits in the video advertisements

Discourses on Conflict Women: Surfacing the Women in Marawi in News-mediated “Development as Discourse

Like myths in folklore, “development as discourse” constructs women. I argue that these representations of women, particularly in seven selected online articles produced by news media and development institutions about the recovery of Marawi City in the Philippines after nearly five months of conflict in 2017, obscure women’s genuine aspirations and actual participation in rehabilitation efforts. Using the lens of Third World feminism and postdevelopment thinking, I point out how these media discourses on development mythologize women. Parsing “development as discourse” is essential not only for exposing the contradictions in media representations of women but also for surfacing the possibilities of reinterpreting the myths. Critical writing and reading can demythologize and liberate conflict women and other silenced Others.

From the Whisper Network to #MeToo—Framing Gender, Gossip and Sexual Harassment

There is a long-standing connection between gender and gossip in Western culture as the communication amongst women has been stigmatized as gossip. Long before #MeToo, women who had become victims of sexual abuse and who spoke out against sexual violence were pillorized through gossip and stigmatized as gossips in the public sphere. As a consequence, women have resorted to private forms of communication―so-called “whisper networks”―to warn each other about abuse and harassment. However, the #MeToo-movement has shifted this network from the private sector into that strange hybrid of private and public communication that is social media. The “mainstreaming” of feminist activism achieved through hashtag feminism has had repercussions for the representation of rape survivors and feminist activists in traditional, analog media. The particulars of these repercussions are what this essay seeks to analyze. The traditional public forum of the printed press started to represent these women as trustworthy witnesses―in a dramatic deviation from previous patterns of representation. While the connection between femininity and gossip thus seems to have been severed, this does not, however, mean that the representation of women in the media has been fundamentally altered. Through a semiotic analysis of the visual representations of women in print media around and after #MeToo, this essay will critically call into question the extent of the perceived paradigm shift in the context of #MeToo and the trial of Bill Cosby in 2017.

REVIEW OF THE LEVEL OF SEXISM IN THE SERBIAN DAILY PRESS

In order to determine the level of sexism in the Serbian daily press, a survey was conducted on a corpus of three editions of daily newspapers. Relevant national print media, which differ in their editorial policy, are included in the research: Politika as a serious daily informative-political newspaper, Večernje novosti as a semi-tabloid, and Kurir as a tabloid newspaper. These dailies were chosen because of the difference in the quality of the content they offer, the readability, and therefore the greatest impact on the readership. The research was done by the method of quantitative-qualitative content analysis. The research period was chosen at random, which includes editions published on January 28th 2020. The paper applies a methodology based on the numerical scale offered by Butler-Paisley in 1976, which indicates that representations of sexism are not black and white. This scale provides an explanation of the level of sexism in the media, dividing the media coverage of women into five categories, which can be categorized with each other. The woman in the first level is so limited and incompetent, that she is not a complete person; the woman in the second level is competent, but only within the defined sphere of activity; a third-level woman is allowed a wider sphere, but only if traditional activities remain primary. The fourth level allows more freedom, saying that a woman is and must be equal to a man, and level five confirms that each individual should be viewed non-stereotypically, and that women and men can sometimes surpass each other. Despite legal regulations and legal acts, which certainly represent a framework for the protection of women’s rights, the media still represent a woman under the burden of stereotypes, and do not give her enough space she deserves. The results of the research indicate certain shifts in the media representation of women, i.e. in most texts women are represented as equal to men, but there are still a large number of coded cases on the scale of “humiliate her” and “give her two places”, in which the media remind us of the two-dimensional portrayal of women and the primacy of private roles, a sphere that must not be jeopardized by a professional role

In her own words: Melanesian women in media

Representation of women in media has been a noted gender equity issue globally for decades. Given the increasing encroachments into press freedom in Melanesia, female journalists and media workers face serious challenges. With this in mind, the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum (MMFF) hosted a special session focusing specifically on the issues affecting women in the media in Melanesia. This article focuses on the discussions of female Melanesian journalists and the unique challenges they face in terms of representation in the media workforce, having their voices heard in the media, and the threats to their personal safety.

The new face of homelessness? Examining media representations of women’s homelessness in five Australian news sources

ABSTRACT The news media plays an important role influencing policy development and public discourse on social issues, however there is limited research available which examines media representations of homelessness through the lens of gender. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis were used to examine media representations of women’s homelessness in five Australian news sources: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sydney Morning Herald. Five broad themes relating to women’s homelessness were identified: violence and victimization, access to appropriate housing, economic factors, social and health factors, and homelessness policy. Women with children experiencing domestic and family violence were the most frequently represented demographic in the sample of articles. While the media acknowledged the perspectives of women with lived experiences of homelessness, it was homelessness services, advocates and government officials who were most often framed as homelessness “experts.” Overall, the media was largely sympathetic towards the issue of women’s homelessness and often framed it as a “crisis” requiring government attention. However, the media also privileged certain perspectives and discourse regarding women’s homelessness, reinforcing notions of the deserving and undeserving poor and overlooking the unequal gender and power relations that contribute to women’s homelessness.

Medijska slika žena u Ministarstvu odbrane i Vojsci Srbije

The way media and journalism present and deal with certain topics can firmly reflect the dominant opinion on questions important in society. This paper examines the way media describes women in the Serbian Armed Forces. The authors postulate that the positive publicity in the media can contribute to achieving greater equality, as well as encouraging woman to choose military professions, while simultaneously improving the public image of the Serbian Armed Forces. This research covers items published in print and electronic Serbian media spanning from 2016. to 2018. Our research demonstrates that women in the Serbian Armed Forces are consistently present at the same percentage of the total amount of public reporting on military news and topics. Such result is a reflection of the societal acceptance of female enrolment in the Military Academy more than a decade ago, coupled with the implementation of two national Action Plans under the UN Security Councilˊs Resolution 1325 - Women, Peace and Security in the Republic of Serbia. It is the opinion of the authors that the image of women in traditionally male - dominant professions, such as the military, is viewed as positive. The majority of articles on women in the Army are noted to be issued during either highly publicized events, such as the promotion ceremony for the youngest officers of the Serbian Armed Forces in front of the National Assembly in Belgrade or during advertisements for enrolment in Military Schools and voluntary conscription. Overall, the image and role of women in the Army is viewed as more positive compared to articles of women in general and in other professions in Serbia. The results of this research have also indicated that some stereotyping exists, relating to the representation of women in media. Further improvements can be directed towards diversifying topics on women with the active support of the military establishment itself.

White Women Smiling? Media Representations of Women at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

In this article we analyze images of sportswomen from four media outlets over the course of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia. Through visual discourse analysis we find that despite structural changes to increase gender equality at the Commonwealth Games—which for the first time ensured equal opportunities for men and women to win medals—sportswomen were still depicted in a very narrow way, and intersectional representations were mainly excluded. Though the quantity of images of women had increased, the ‘quality’ of these images was poor in terms of representing sportswomen in their diversity. We still have far to go if we are to embrace women in their multiplicity—and to recognize that women can be strong, capable, butch, femme, and varied in their range of expressions of gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity.

Misperceptions and Motivations of the Female Terrorist: A Psychological Perspective

ABSTRACT Terrorism perpetrated by females is often overlooked. Women take on numerous roles in terrorist organizations- acting as intelligence gatherers, informants, sexual bait, recruiters, and even suicide bombers. In this article, we critically examine misperceptions of female terrorism through the lens of gender stereotyping research. Because these misperceptions can lead to a misunderstanding of motivations, we also explore the motivations for why females commit terrorist acts utilizing the components of expectancy theory. Finally, we offer some suggestions related to reducing women’s participation in terrorism. Women pose many advantages for terrorist organizations, as their violent acts are stealthy and often unexpected due to media representation of women, especially Muslim women. Furthermore, including women increases the group’s numbers willing to commit themselves to the cause, contributes an added shock value, shames enemy targets, and changes the profile of attackers. Understanding the motivations and misperceptions of female-perpetrated terrorism through a psychological lens can aid with future research and help lead to the development of intervention strategies.

Gender and the national crisis of contested nationhood: news visibility of women in Nigeria’s unity debate

ABSTRACT Women representation in the media has attracted a lot of attention from scholars in different countries. Existing literature overwhelmingly focuses on media representation of women in the political sphere, with greater consideration for women who contested for or held political offices. At a time when the crisis of self-determination raging through many countries coincides with increasing women visibility in politics, this study examines the visibility of women in newspaper discourse of contested nationhood using the case of Nigeria. The current focus is important as women bear a great part of the brunt of crisis of contested nationhood. In content and critical discourse analyses of two-year straight news reportage of the debate over the negotiability of Nigeria’s unity in four newspapers, it was found that social actors from the establishment are more than twice as visible in the discourse as those from the civil society, with women from both sides excluded. It was concluded that the increased visibility, though marginal, that women are achieving in Nigerian politics does not result in them becoming visible in the country’s newspaper discourse of contested nationhood.