Gender and Race Portrayals on Spanish-Language Television

Abstract

Gender and racial stereotypes continue to permeate our society and one context in which these stereotypes are perpetuated are the media. Although we have a history of content analysis of gender and racial portrayals on English-language television aired in the U.S., few systematic analyses have been conducted on Spanish-language television that airs in the same country. Our team of coders analyzed 466 characters and 481 2-minute intervals on 19 episodes of Spanish-language soap operas or telenovelas that aired in the Los Angeles broadcast area of the U.S. in the summer of 2002. Telenovelas were the programming type selected as they make up the bulk of Spanish-language network television in the U.S. The programs were coded in terms of how gender and race are presented on these programs by first coding the characteristics of speaking characters (including their race and gender) and then coding what actions these characters displayed in 2-minute intervals. Although females and males were represented in equal numbers, gender stereotypes abound. Physical appearance and nurturing roles were more likely to be the focus for female characters while occupational roles were more likely to be the focus for male characters. In terms of race, the overwhelming majority of characters were light-skinned and characters with darker skin were portrayed in extremes and more sexualized. These representations replicate some of the same stereotypes found on English-language television with some notable differences in terms of number of women represented.

Representaciones de la sexualidad femenina en la ficción televisiva española

“…The context of these representations, particularly the characterization of female characters, plays an important role in the treatment given to the construction of sexuality (Aubrey and Gamble, 2014;Eyal and Kunkel, 2008;Farrar et al, 2003;Kunkel et al, 2007;Rivadeneyra, 2011), nevertheless the setting in the past of 34 of the 84 analyzed programs does not substantially change their sexual characterization. Moreover, the central role played by infidelity in most of side storylines suggest the inextricability of sex and love relationships, emphasized by Giddens (1992Giddens ( /1993 in his seminal contribution to the subject.…”

“…The importance of the context in the analysis of the characters' sexuality has been underscored by numerous researchers inspired by the social learning theory (Eyal and Kunkel, 2008;Farrar et al, 2003;Kunkel et al, 2007;Rivadeneyra, 2011). From a feminist perspective, contextual variables are essential to correlate gender inequality with other types of social inequalities, as Gamman and Marshment (1989: 7) pointed out in the 1990's, when they criticized the depoliticization made by psychoanalytic criticism of other power relations, such as class, race and generation.…”

The Occupational Roles of Women and Ethnic Minorities on Primetime Television in Belgium: An Analysis of Occupational Status Measurements

“…Das (2011) and Emons et al (2010), for instance, observed that men in commercials more often appear in authoritative and decision-making roles, whereas women are shown in subordinate positions. Rivadeneyra (2011), too, found that men are more likely to be shown in settings that stress values like power and money. However, evidence with regard to occupational prestige is mixed.…”

“…This conclusion holds for various television genres, including nonfiction and fiction (most notably films, soap operas, and television commercials). Women are more likely than men to have an unknown occupational status and are more likely to be unemployed or to be portrayed in a domestic environment (Das, 2011;Glascock, 2001;Luyt, 2011;Paek, Nelson, & Vilela, 2010;Rivadeneyra, 2011;Signorielli & Bacue, 1999;Signorielli & Kahlenberg, 2001). Emons, Wester, and Scheepers (2010), for instance, concluded in their study on gender roles that Dutch television commercials construct an image in which ''he works outside the home'' while ''she drinks coffee and does the dishes'' (p. 50).…”

“…Recently, some evolutions toward a more balanced gender representation have been noted (Emons et al, 2010). In her 2011 content analysis of Spanish-language telenovelas, Rivadeneyra (2011) still found that almost 57% of the portrayed men on television are employed, whereas only 36% of the women could be identified as being employed (p. 215). Women are also far more likely to be depicted in the role of homemaker than men.…”