Gender and Media: Representing, Producing, Consuming (Communication and Society) - Softcover

"Gender is the most confoundingly difficult thematic of our times. How can we enjoy all kinds of gendered media content (often not even intended for our personal 'gender') and know that we are being disciplined at the very same time? Krijnen and Van Bauwel manage to do justice to both aspects and take into account the vastly changed media landscape of earlier gender and media studies. A joy to read and a wake-up call at the very same time for both dyed-in-the-wool media researchers and for those wanting an introduction to this field. Gender and Media: Representing, Producing, Consuming comes highly recommended!"

Joke Hermes, Professor of Practice Based Research in Media, Culture and Citizenship, Inholland University

"This is one of those rare things, a book about gender and media which provides an intelligent critique of the main debates about this tricky relationship and does that in a student-friendly way, exploring the ways in which gender intervenes in processes of production, representation and consumption."

Karen Ross, Professor of Media, Northumbria University

"Gender and Media: Representing, Producing, Consuming by Tonny Krijnen and Sofie Van Bauwel offers valuable insights on the interactions and relationships between media and gender in this rapidly transforming media environment. The book offers a mix of popular and academic debates on media messages, producers and audiences from a gender perspective ... I think this book is a perfect tool to use for educational purposes. It serves as a good reference for students or scholars who are taking their first steps into gender and media research. I particularly enjoy the author’s efforts to stimulate critical thinking of their readers by allowing the formation of their own opinions on the presented topics."

Sara de Vuyst, Professor of Communication Studies, Ghent University

Why do some TV genres have the label feminine or masculine? Why do we worry about boys playing video games too much while girls play just as often? Is the TV show Sex and the City empowering or not? Why are recent television shows like Desperate Housewives post-feminist television?

Gender and Media explores these and other complex questions by offering a critical overview of the contemporary debates and discussions surrounding gender and mediated communication, and by providing student’s with an overview of the current academic research on these topics.

The book is divided into three parts: representing, producing, and consuming with each section made up of three chapters. The first chapter of each section attempts to answer the most basic questions: ‘Who is represented?’, ‘Who produces what?’ and ‘Who consumes what?’. The second chapter of each section draws attention to the complexity of the relationship between gender and media, concentrating on the "why." The third and final chapter of each section addresses the latest debates in the fields of media and gender, adding a vital layer of understanding of the topic at hand.

This process is aided by text boxes, which provide some additional information on the most important concepts and topics and exercises, which help bridge the gap between theory and everyday life media practices.

This will be an ideal textbook for students studying gender and media, and for general courses on gender studies, sociology, cultural studies and women’s studies.