Women in the Media
Overview
Background
Statistical Information
Finding Articles
Finding Books
Professional Organizations
Topic Overview
In general, most research about this topic focuses on the portrayal of women in mass media; including television, magazines, commercials, news programs and sports. Research on this topic is often related to body image and gender stereotypes.
Terminology commonly associated with this topic includes:
Women
Media
Stereotype
Body image
Advertising
Sex/Gender Role
Mass Media
Feminism
Social role and women
Public opinion and women
Sex discrimination
Role models
Background Sources
There are numerous sources appropriate for your research in the Undergraduate Library's Reference Collection. Those listed below provide excellent starting points for your research. If you need help identifying other sources, Ask a Librarian.
Suggested reference sources:
- Encyclopedia of Women and Gender Q 305.403 En19, 2 volumes. This set provides "comprehensive coverage of the many topics that encompass current research and scholarship on the psychology of women and gender." The entries cover many different types of topics, including; Body Image Concerns, Gender Stereotypes, Media Influences, Media Stereotypes, and Social Identity.
- Encyclopedia of Advertising Q 659.103 Ad 964 3 volumes. This set offers a historical perspective for the advertising field. They have an entry for "Women: representations in advertising" which would be useful for this topic.
Statistical Information
Statistical information can be found in many sources, both print and online. Given the necessary time for a book to come to press the most recent information is likely to be found online. Note, as well, statistical sources cited in background and reference sources you consult. See if you can locate more recent versions of these.
Online statistical resources:
- Statistical Universe (Lexis-Nexis) - Provides government statistics, business, trade, and research information, and private and international statistical information. U.S. government statistics go back to 1973 and private and state sources go back to 1980.
Finding Articles
Articles are a valuable resource in any research paper or project. Articles (as opposed to books) generally possess the following characteristics:
Shorter length
Currency of information
Focus on a specific aspect of a topic
Suggested keywords for this topic:
women
media
television
advertising
stereotype
body image
media coverage
women and media and stereotype
women and mass media
Check the subject headings/descriptors for individual articles in your searches and repeat your search using these terms. Please note, subject headings are not consistent across databases
Recommended Article Databases:
General Interest Databases (cover a variety of subjects/topics)
- Academic Search Premier (EBSCO Host) - Includes both scholarly and popular sources, updated daily.
- Expanded Academic Index ASAP (InfoTrac) - Includes both scholarly and popular sources, updated weekly.
- Periodical Abstracts (FirstSearch) - Includes both scholarly and popular sources, updated weekly.
Discipline Specific Databases (focus on a specific discipline or collection of related disciplines)
- Contemporary Women's Issues - Identifies publications on women's issues including political science, psychology, and reproductive rights, as well as contemporary cultural studies.
- Gender Watch - Identifies publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas.
- Sociological
Abstracts - Contains lots of scholarly journals articles, dissertations,
books, and other information covering a wide variety of sociology topics.
Finding Books
Books are another valuable resource in any research paper or project. Books (as opposed to articles) generally possess the following characteristics:
Longer in length
Good sources of background and historical information
Often contain footnotes and lengthy bibliographies
Suggested subject headings for this topic:
women in mass media
body image in women
mass media and women
women on television
Book Catalogs:
- UIUC Online Catalog Searches for items in the UIUC libraries.
- ILLINET Online Searches for items in 65 academic libraries in Illinois.
- WorldCat
Searches for items in libraries throughout the world.
Professional Organizations
The organizations linked below are all associated with this subject and may contain information relevant to your research.
Updated: 7/05
author LWM
