A Corpus-based Analysis of the Media Representation of Feminism: International Evidence

Abstract

Social psychology research has indicated that the majority of public perceptions of feminism are based on stereotypes associating it with leftist politics and lesbian inclination. It is asserted that these beliefs are a result of how feminism has been sexualized and portrayed negatively in the media. Studies concerns about how feminism is portrayed in the media seem to support this trend. While the majority of this research offers important insights into how feminism is portrayed, the conclusions are frequently based on a limited sample of texts. Additionally, the majority of the research was done in an Anglo-American environment. This study examines the feminism discourse in a substantial corpus of German and British newspaper data in an effort to rectify some of the inadequacies of earlier research. It does so by using the resources.