Between the norm and the exception: gender asymmetries in portuguese newsmagazines

Abstract

This paper, which is informed by a feminist perspective, presents an analysis of the gender representations that emerge in the Portuguese newsmagazines, focusing in particular on their intersection with the thematic profile of this type of medium. The results suggest that these publications tend to favour representational paradigms that are consistent with the ‘benevolent sexism’. While men are represented as holders of power and agents of influence, women are portrayed as individuals that depend on the mentoring of their male counterparts in the exercise of leadership. The Portuguese newsmagazines thus invisibilise the diversity of identities and experiences, encouraging the perpetuation of androcentric values and unequal power relations.