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Women in popular music: A quantitative analysis of feminine images over time

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Abstract

Popular song lyrics from the years 1946, 1956, 1966, and 1976, were content analyzed for feminine images. Eleven stereotyped female images were examined: woman as evil; emphasis on physical characteristics; woman's need for man; woman as a possession of man; woman as mother; woman as sex object; woman as delicate; woman as child; woman on a pedestal; woman as physically attractive; and woman as supernatural. Significant changes over time were found for 8 of the 11 images. Of the songs sampled from 1946–1976, 96% contained at least one of the female stereotypes examined in this investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Old Dominion University, USA

    Virginia W. Cooper

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  1. Virginia W. Cooper
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Cooper, V.W. Women in popular music: A quantitative analysis of feminine images over time. Sex Roles 13, 499–506 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287756

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