Which framework links gender representations to patriarchal social values and shows cultural variation over time?

Which framework links gender representations to patriarchal social values and shows cultural variation over time?

• A. Van Zoonen: Gender & Power
• B. Gauntlett: Representation of Identity
• C. Van Zoonen: Gender as Discourse
• D. Bell Hooks: Ideology of Domination

Answer: (C)

Gender as Discourse shows that how men and women are pictured in media isn’t natural or fixed, but produced through talking and representations within a culture. This framework links those gendered portrayals directly to the power structures around them—especially patriarchal norms that shape what counts as acceptable or desirable for each gender. Because discourses are shaped by the society and era they’re in, the way gender is depicted varies over time and across cultures. That combination of linking representations to patriarchal values and recognizing change over time makes this approach the best fit for the question. Other frameworks touch on related ideas, but not in the same way. Representation of Identity focuses more on how media helps shape personal and social identities, not specifically on patriarchy or how discourses about gender shift across different times and cultures. Gender & Power covers power relations but centers on those dynamics rather than the discursive construction through media representations. Ideology of Domination discusses broader patriarchal ideology, not the particular media-discourse mechanism that generates gendered representations across contexts.

Gender as Discourse shows that how men and women are pictured in media isn’t natural or fixed, but produced through talking and representations within a culture. This framework links those gendered portrayals directly to the power structures around them—especially patriarchal norms that shape what counts as acceptable or desirable for each gender. Because discourses are shaped by the society and era they’re in, the way gender is depicted varies over time and across cultures. That combination of linking representations to patriarchal values and recognizing change over time makes this approach the best fit for the question.

Other frameworks touch on related ideas, but not in the same way. Representation of Identity focuses more on how media helps shape personal and social identities, not specifically on patriarchy or how discourses about gender shift across different times and cultures. Gender & Power covers power relations but centers on those dynamics rather than the discursive construction through media representations. Ideology of Domination discusses broader patriarchal ideology, not the particular media-discourse mechanism that generates gendered representations across contexts.