Effects of Iranian State Television on Gender Role Attitudes

Over the last decade, considerable social changes are occurring in Iranian society. Gender roles are shifting. This thesis considers the influence of television in shaping individuals’ beliefs, and the maintenance of cultural norms. The research examines the extent to which gender roles are cultivated by Iranian State television content. To what extent are Iranians’ genderIrole attitudes reflecting the values of the media they consume? The significance of Iranian state television is in the state’s propagandistic approach in using media to direct individuals’ ideologies. To answer these questions, three research methods are employed. First, the content of State television is analysed. Particular attention is directed toward a new, popular series called ‘Kimia’ which aired first in 2015. Combined with existing secondary content analysis from previous studies, a longitudinal narrative of gender roles in State media is developed over three decades. The second method utilised focus groups to examine participants’ perceptions about gender identity and the representation of gender roles portrayed in Iran’s State television. The final method employed a small survey to generalise observations from the focus group analysis. The content analysis findings show that the portrayal of gender roles is going back and forth between traditional and egalitarian roles for women and men. The thesis finds that exposure to State television content and non-State satellite television content did not have significant effect on the respondents’ attitudes towards gender roles. Stronger determinants of gender roles stemmed from participants’ education and familial context. State propaganda through television is an ineffective means of manipulating the population