Representation of women and work in the most popular series in the UK and Spain

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/infe.79233
Keywords: Gender studies, Occupational roles, Series, Television, Fiction, Popular culture
Agencies: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Reference: PGC2018-094863-B-100, MCIU-Feder).

Abstract

This study provides a portrait of the occupational roles in the series most watched on the generalist DTT channels in the United Kingdom and Spain. The media representations of gender role attitudes in the workplace, especially in fiction, influence the popular culture and social imaginary of the audiences. In this context, the study of the series with the largest audience is important to discover the patterns that these fictions show about work environments. This article analyzes 40 popular series broadcasts on generalist television channels in the United Kingdom and Spain. A sample of more than 400 characters reveals the representation of women and men in the workplace, highlighting the similarities and differences regarding job profiles, leadership, and prestige. The comparison between both markets allows us to find relevant concepts on the current representation of women and work. While in the UK the differences are minor, the results in Spain confirm the differences between male and female characters associated with various aspects of the workplace such as the prestige and positioning of the most qualified jobs.

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Author Biographies

Celina Navarro-Bosch, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (España)

Celina Navarro is a professor at the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and a member of the consolidated research group GRISS at the UAB. She has participated in research projects funded by the Spanish government. Her work as a researcher focuses mainly on transnational flows of audiovisual content and social networks.

Matilde Delgado-Reina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (España)

Matilde Delgado is a tenured professor at the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). She was the director of the Department between 2009 and 2012. She is a senior researcher at the consolidated research group GRISS-UAB. She has participated in research projects funded by the Spanish government and is currently the principal researcher of a project on television programming in Europe (PGC2018-094863-B-100-MCIU-FEDER). Her work as a researcher focuses mainly on television studies.

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Published
2022-12-22
How to Cite
García-Muñoz N., Navarro-Bosch C. y Delgado-Reina M. (2022). Representation of women and work in the most popular series in the UK and Spain. Investigaciones Feministas (Feminist Research), 13(2), 695-704. https://doi.org/10.5209/infe.79233
Issue
Vol. 13 No. 2 (2022): Monográfico: Mujeres en todas las Ciencias. No más Matildas
Section
Monograph

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