Recognition and respect: A content analysis of prime-time television characters across three decades

This content analysis of week-long samples of prime-time network dramatic programs broadcast between the fall of 1967 and the spring of 1998 found that women consistently receive less recognition than men on television. While programs broadcast in the 1990's had more women than those broadcast in the 1960's and early 1970's, the women were still under represented in relation to their numbers in the U.S. population. There has been, however, some change in the amount and degree of respect given to women on prime time. While women are still categorized as younger than their male counterparts, over the past 30 years more women are presented as employed outside the home and the percentage of women cast in more prestigious occupations has increased considerably. Whereas in the 1970's about a quarter of the women were depicted in traditionally female occupations such as teachers or nurses, during the 1980's and 1990's a smaller portion of the women were cast in these jobs. In contrast, the percent of women in traditional male or gender neutral jobs increased significantly from the 1970's to the 1990's.