The occupational roles of television fiction characters in Spain: distinguishing traits in gender representation

Abstract

This article presents the main findings of a study on the portrayal of occupational roles in fiction series broadcast by the general nationwide channels during the 2009/2010 season in Spain. Fiction is one of the most highly appreciated genres amongst audiences, thus the study of fiction characters allows us to identify the models and roles portrayed and transmitted by television. The gender-related variable shows that the representation of male and female occupational roles in television fiction remains unequal, although there has been some improvement in relation to previous studies.

Keywords

• gender representation
• occupational roles
• television fiction
• content analysis
• fiction characters