Sex-role stereotyping and images of women in situation and demostic comedies on prime-time television

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe sex-role stereotyping and images of woman in situation and domestic comesies on prime-time television. This thesis was a descriptive research study. The researcher used a content analysis method. Sixteen leading female characters in the top ten situation and domestic comedies of 1990 on prime-time television were analyzed by ten coders from different ages, occupa- tions, and gender in the study. The research concluded that there were some changes in the portrayal of woman in the situation and domestic comedies. Most of the female characters were socially responsible adult woman whose lives were characterized by a balance between mesculine and feminine features as they related to the outside world and the world of family.