The aim of this study is to unravel the power dynamics in news media's positioning of men in relation to the concept ‘masculinity in crisis’. To accomplish this, 52 Swedish news articles are subjects to analysis, using a critical discursive approach with a theoretical framework emphasising power structures and gender dynamics, alongside considerations of subject positions and the notion of antagonism. In order to guide the thesis further, two research questions are created: how are men positioned in relation to previously attributed male ideals and characteristics and how are men contrasted to women? The main findings were that the positioning of men is ambiguous, and the ideal man is not a distinct traditional man nor a “soft boy”. The positioning of men is inferior in contrast to women, and when describing the inferior man, traditional feminine attributes are used. The same is true for describing women superiority with traditional manly attributes and virtues. These findings suggest that Swedish news media in their positioning of men contribute to on one side, a strive to change gender roles according to changes towards a more equal society, and on the other side to question the progress made by women as gone too far leaving men behind as victims.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-225812 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Grunander, Alvin, Lilja, Hugo |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Sociologiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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