Skip to main content
Log in

Portrayal of Women in Sexuality and Marriage and Family Textbooks: A Content Analysis of Photographs from the 1970s to the 1990s

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Previous research into gender role stereotypesin the mass media has focused on television, radio andmagazines. The present study sought to determine whethersimilar patterns can be found in photographic images of women in college-level HumanSexuality and Marriage and Family textbooks. Over 1000photographs of women were content analyzed. Resultsindicated that in the 1970s, photographs were devotedprimarily to traditional images of women. In the 1990s,while there were more photographs of women devoted tofeminist messages, photographs with traditional messagesstill dominated. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for studies ofgender role development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Apple, M. W. (1985). The culture and commerce of the textbook. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 17, 147–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Basow, S. (1986). Gender stereotypes. Belmont, CA: Brooks-Cole.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barthes, R. (1977). Image-music-text. New York: Hill & Wang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1993). The lenses of gender: Transforming the debate on sexual inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Betz, N. (1993). Women' s career development. In F. L. Denmark & M. A. Paludi (Eds.), Psychology of women: A handbook of issues and theories. Greenwood Press: Westwood, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler, M., & Paisley, W. (1980). Women and the mass media. New York: Human Sciences Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, R. S. (1992). The effect of television day part on gender role portrayals in television commercials: A content analysis. Sex Roles, 26, 197–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denmark, F. L. (1982). Integrating the psychology of women into introductory psychology. In C. J. Scherere & A. R. Rogers (Eds.), The G.Stanley Hall Lecture Series (Vol. 3). Washington, DC: APA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durkin, K. (1985). Television, sex roles and children: A developmental social psychology account. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

  • Furnham, A., & Scho®eld, S. (1986). Sex role stereotyping in British radio advertisements. British Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 165–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golombok, S., & Fivush, R. (1994). Gender development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurtz, W., & Durkin, K. (1997). Gender role stereotyping in Australian radio commercials. Sex Roles, 36, 101–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, A. C. (1985). The development of sex typing: Themes from recent research. Developmental Review, 5, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kassarjian, H. H. (1977). Content analysis in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 4, 8–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meece, J. (1987). The in¯ uence of school experiences on the development of gender schemata. New Directions for Child Development, 38, 57–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J., & Oakley, A. (1986). What is feminism? New York: Pantheon Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, S. B., & Kroner, T. (1992). Gender biases in textbooks for introductory psychology and human development. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 16, 17–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierce, K. (1990). A feminist theoretical perspective on the socialization of teenage girls through Seventeen magazine. Sex Roles, 23, 491–500.

    Google Scholar 

  • Percival, E. (1984). Sex bias in introductory psychology textbooks: Five years later. Canadian Psychology, 25, 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reep, D. C., & Dambrot, F. H. (1987). Having it all? Care er con¯ icts for TV' s women. Journal of Studies in Technical Careers, 9, 217–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reese, L. (1994). Gender equity and texts. Social Studies Review, 33, 12–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, S. R.,& Rossi, J. S. (1985). Gender differences in the perception of women in magazine advertising. Sex Roles, 12, 1033–1039.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadker, M. P.,& Sadker, D.M. (1980). Sexism in teacher education texts. Harvard Educational Review, 50, 36–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadker, M. P., & Sadker, D. M. (1994). Failing at fairness: How America's schools cheat girls. New York: C. Scribner' s Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schau, C. G., & Scott, K. P. (1984). Impact of gender characteristics of instructional materials: An integration of the research literature. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 183–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlenker, J. A., Caron, S. L., & Halteman, W. A. (1998). A feminist analysis of Seventeen magazine: Content analysis from 1945 to 1995. Sex Roles, 38, 135–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sontag, S. (1977). On photography. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strong, B., & DeVault, C. (1997). Human sexuality: Diversity in contemporary America. Mountain View, CA: May® eld Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whatley, M. H. (1988). Photographic images of Blacks in sexuality texts. Curriculum Inquiry, 18, 137–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whatley, M. H. (1992). Images of gays and lesbians in Sexuality and Health textbooks. Journal of Homosexuality, 15, 197–211.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Low, J., Sherrard, P. Portrayal of Women in Sexuality and Marriage and Family Textbooks: A Content Analysis of Photographs from the 1970s to the 1990s. Sex Roles 40, 309–318 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018859207448

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018859207448

Keywords

Navigation