Gender portraits in television news: analyzing inequalities behind the numerical representation
Keywords:
gender, public sphere, television news, media representationsAbstract
This research is based on a reflection on the various studies that have highlighted gender asymmetries in media representations and the "symbolic annihilation"of women’s roles in the public sphere. Considering that the ideal of a participatory democracy assumes, among other things, the balanced inclusion of female and masculine voices, and taking into account the importance and credibility of news media as a public debate arena, we have chosen to focus our analysis in the television news programs of three main broadcasters – RTP1, SIC and TVI. For this purpose, we have developed a coding grid which was applied to a set of 1764 television news during a period of one year. The methodology used was designed to analyze gender social representations with regard to social roles and power relationships in the public sphere. In the analysis of the results obtained we have verified that the current portrayal of women and men in television news has been contributing to the reproduction and maintenance of gender stereotypes that tend to associate the men to work, productivity and power; and women to private life social roles, placing them mostly on the margins of the public sphere.
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