Ateneo De Manila

University AB
Communication
Richard Webb - 2014

[GENDER PORTRAYALS
AND STEREOTYPES IN
KABIT-THEMED
SHOWS:A CONTENT
ANALYSIS]

INTRODUCTION
In the making of television series it is important to create not only intriguing and
exciting plotlines but it is also important to create realistic and interesting characters.
More often than not though, it is a challenge for writers to create original and wellrounded characters. There are cases though in where sometimes writers model some of
their characters characteristics to their specific stereotypes whether it be on their race,
social class, religion, or gender. Whether this was incidental or intended, these
supporting of certain stereotypes and portrayals are evident in not only the past but in
current television series. Television genres that still evidently promote stereotypes or
even just highlight certain aspects of these stereotypes in different characters are soap
operas, or telenovelas and dramas, most especially in the Filipino setting in the case of
genders. Though not as strongly as in earlier years, the portrayal of both men and
women on television is largely traditional and stereotypical. (Ahmed, 2012). Some
statistics point out that is evident in Filipino media that males are given more attention
and are depicted as more independent and professional than women (Prieler &
Centeno, 2013).

The term "soap opera" was coined by the American press in the 1930s to denote the
extraordinarily popular genre of serialized domestic radio dramas, which, by 1940,
represented some 90% of all commercially-sponsored daytime broadcast hours. The
"soap" in soap opera alluded to their sponsorship by manufacturers of household
cleaning products; while "opera" suggested an ironic incongruity between the domestic

narrative concerns of the daytime serial and the most elevated of dramatic forms
(Ahmed, 2012). Soap operas could also be called telenovelas.
Digressing from the previous topic, television content has been rapidly evolving
for a long time now. Television has become a mass medium of communication making it
also a mass medium of entertainment to the public. Studios have not only been
continuously pushing for innovation in the quality of shows, but also pushing for more
original and fresh concepts for their programs to center on. It seems as if television
programs for the past few decades have been continuously changing the industry due
to the so many instances of them pushing boundaries in terms of content in television.
Included in this pushing of boundaries is the making of shows that tackle on taboo and
controversial topics.
In the Philippine context, the media has barely scratched the surface of exploring
this more uncommon side of television although it has begun its movement by exploring
the concepts of adultery and infidelity in the form of the kabit-themed telenovelas (or
soap operas), The Legal Wife and My Husbands Lover.
To relate this to gender portrayals, this studys aim is to explore and give a
content analysis on the telenovelas The Legal Wife and My Husbands Lovers gender
portrayals of their main characters men, women, and homosexuals to give a better
understanding of the images the characters present and how these images reflect on
their genders. These shows were suitable for analysis because of its characteristics
fitting that of being a soap opera, its controversial themes, and its recent introduction to
the mainstream media. These kabit-themed shows have recently been put in the

spotlight by being one of the first primetime telenovelas in the Philippines to center on
such a controversial topic. It would be interesting to explore these images in such
controversial programs in hopes to give more insight on gender roles in the Philippines.
With these telenovelas garnering so much attention it is possible that such types
of shows may promote certain gender stereotypes and may impose certain expectations
and perceptions on different genders especially in situations that these kabit-themed
telenovelas present. According to Gerbner, Cultivation theory suggests that exposure to
consistent messages over time influences individuals to perceive the world in a certain
manner. It is certainly a possibility that these kabit-themed telenovelas may influence its
viewer which may lead into the forming wrong or misguided views on genders which is a
great concern, therefore must be explored and studied.

REVIEW OF RELATED LIERATURE

Martin Eisend (2009) in his study attempted to do a systematic content analysis
on advertisements to determine the degree of gender stereotyping in advertising,
possible changes of gender stereotyping over the years, and the nature of the
relationship between gender stereotyping in advertising and role changing
developments in society. The results yielded, based on TV and radio advertisements,
that stereotyping is still indeed present. The results of a correlation analysis and a
simultaneous equation model show that gender stereotyping in advertising depends on
gender-related developments and value changes in society rather than the other way
around meaning advertisements simply mirror the current perceptions of these genders
(Eisend, 2009).

Kenneth & Sharon Schneider (1979) conducted a study on sex roles in

commercials and whether the image of women being portrayed in commercials have
improved from 1971 to 1976, meaning whether their image has widened than narrowed
down to a few roles. The results of their study showed that there was hardly any change
with the image of men and women from 1971 to 1976.
Kimberly R. Walsh, Elfriede Frsich, and Bonnie S. Jefferson (2008) noticed that
a certain pattern in some television series in where smart, witty, and attractive women
who are married to inept, overweight, and immature men (Walshm, Frsich, &
Jefferson, 2008). To assess this, the researchers conducted a textual analysis on the
content of two sitcoms. The results of the analysis showed that although women were
portrayed a competent and capable, there is still a great sense of male dominance in
the shows. The study further goes on by explaining how even contradictions such as
these still sustain gender constellations and how shows such as these encourages
patriarchy as a male trait while belittling the concept of sexism (Walshm, Frsich, &
Jefferson, 2008).
Siobhan Smith (2013) attempted a content analysis on Black Entertainment
Television's College Hill to compare portrayals of African-American men and women.
The results showed that there was indeed a gender imbalance in the show. Results
showed that the women were indeed portrayed more negatively than their male
counterparts and such perceptions shed a bad light on certain African-American
institutions.

Barbara Czarniawska, Ulla Eriksson-Zetterquist and David Renemark (2013)

conducted a study in where three different soap operas, from three different countries
were analyzed and compared to each other. The focus was to observe how women
were portrayed in terms of work and family in each shows. The results showed that
women in the shows indeed supported some characteristics of the working women
stereotypes. The noted however that although certain stereotype characteristics were
present, there were attempts to build new roles for the character. This can be
interpreted in two ways: that the series offer a largely accurate image and thus invite
reflection and, possibly, change, or that they stabilize and reify the existing order
(Czarniawska, Eriksson-Zetterquist, & Renemark 2013).
Kate Conrad, Travis Dixon, and Yuanyuan Zhang (2009) examined rap music
videos and the occurrence of controversial themes, gender differences, and skin tone
distortion in their content. They did a content analysis on a few music videos from
different channels, and results showed that there was emphasis on misogyny and
materialism and that specifically females were portrayed more as sexual objects than
men (Conrad, Dixon, & Zhang, 2009).
Dr. Aaliya Ahmed (2012), conducts an explanatory research on Soap Operas and
women. The paper deals with how soap operas appeal to some women and how soap
operas cater to the general entertainment preferences of these women. It also tackles
on portrayals of genders and soap operas being a great important aspect to television.
Tamara Kharroub and Andrew J. Weaver (2014), conducted a content analysis
on transnational Arab television drama series to determine the gender portrayals of the

characters. Using 18 different drama serials, the researchers found out that women
were underrepresented, less likely to have recognizable jobs, and more likely than men
to be portrayed in sex-typed occupations, activities, and settings (Kharroub & Weaver,
2014). Their research yielded too that the dramas with female writers were less
stereotypical. The general findings are discussed in comparison to U.S. programming,
and in relation to selective exposure, identification with characters, and potential effects
on Arab viewers gender role beliefs (Kharroub & Weaver, 2014).
The research to be used for the literature of this study doesnt give a great
amount of details on gender portrayals in Philippine dramas although these literatures
will be able to assist in guiding this study appropriately. Using their methods as possible
guidelines and their details for supplementary information or basis for this studys
claims, these paper will truly assist the research in a great manner.

FRAMEWORK
The primary focus of this study will be on the gender portrayals of the
telenovelas The Legal Wife and My Husbands Lover. It will analyze the main characters
Monica Santiago-de Villa, Adrian de Villa, Nicole Esquivel, and Max Gonzales, from
The Legal Wife and, Lally Agatep-Soriano, Vincent Soriano, and Eric Del Mundo, from
My Husbands Lover. The analysis aims to reveal and analyze what image these
characters portray and whether these portrayals promote to existing gender-related
Filipino stereotypes or any aspects of these existing gender-related Filipino stereotypes.
Another aim is to also identify whether there any existing gender gaps between the

main characters, gender imbalances between the characters, and whether the genders
are equally portrayed as competent, capable, and rational individuals.
The models to be used for the interpretation and analysis of the telenovelas will
be the Saussurian Dyadic Model and the Barthes Myth mode. Both these models deal
with explaining the process and method when reading and interpreting organized
patterns of signs and symbols in a text.
The Saussurian Dyadic Model was created by Ferdinand de Saussure, a linguist
and semiotician from Switzerland. De Saussure proposed a theory of signification (a
dyadic or two-part model of the sign). He defined a sign as being composed of: a.) the
signified (which is the idea being represented) and b.) the signifier (which is the word
doing the representing). Thus, the sign is the whole that results from the association of
the signifier with the signified. The relationship between the signifier and the signified is
referred to as signification (it is noteworthy that Saussure always refers to the signified
as an idea) (Chandler, Evreinova).
The Barthes Model on the other hand was created by Roland Barthes. Applying
de Saussures work on linguistics to cultural texts: unlocking the relationship between
popular culture artifacts and dominant ideologies (Cabanes, 2013). Unlike De
Saussures model which is a more simplified way of interpretation and analysis of text,
Barthes model delves deeper in the interpretation of the text by analyzing its intertextuality as well which is the dense network of interconnections between texts, which,
arguably, is as important to understand as the texts themselves (Couldry).

To apply Barthes model on a certain text 1.) first, one must identify the various
signs found within a particular media text. 2.) Second, one must then identify the
connotative meanings attached to the signs. 3.) And last, one must identify the social
myth(s) that the combination of signs allude to (Barthes, 1957).
The paradigm to be used in the study is the Feminist paradigm. Since the study
will mainly focus on gender imbalances and most likely delve in the portrayal of the
female characters it would be appropriate to use the feminist approach in going about
this research.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research will tap into gender stereotypes and portrayals therefore it is
important to identify important factors in this research that the research questions will
address to.
RQ1: How are genders stereotypically portrayed in television?
RQ2: How are genders presented in these shows?
RQ3: Do these portrayals of gender support certain stereotypes?

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