Women in Polish TV Series: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

Our study concerned the extent to which contemporary Polish TV series tried to change stereotypes about women while maintaining them. The objective was operationalised in terms of the presence and presentation of fictional female characters in series broadcast by the three largest television stations in the Polish television market. Eight series representing four thematic types were monitored. We applied a multi-layered coding to the film material. Quantitatively, we defined the contexts in which female characters were shown more often and less frequently. The series were dominated by contexts related to interpersonal relationships (29%) and relationships of a social nature (26%). Two subsequent contexts were professional work (15%) and crime (10%), but they differed across individual genres and titles. We then conducted a qualitative analysis which consisted of identifying the stereotypes or anti-stereotypes presented in the series.