Integrating Objectification and Social Role Theories: A Proposed Framework for Analyzing Media Objectification of Female Athletes

Authors

Isabella Clemens, Gettysburg CollegeFollow

Class Year

2022

Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date of Creation

Spring 2022

Department 1

Management

Abstract

Despite the tremendous strides that women have taken in terms of their participation in sports the representation they receive from the media is still lacking. In addition, when they do receive media attention research has found that female professional athletes are more likely to be seen and focused on their appearance rather than their success and capabilities. This is a trend that has been persistent in the sports world. This paper will provide a review of the research by looking at two theories, the objectivation theory, and the social role theory. These theories have helped explain the inequalities that women face due to society’s constraints inflicted on them through gender norms and stereotypes. However, these theories also have their limits. Therefore, this paper will propose a theory, the Social Role Objectification Theory which will argue that the gender hierarchy and gender norms that exist in our society have enhanced the objectification of women, especially by the media.

Comments

Written for MGT 405: Advanced Topics in OS: Gender and Organizations

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Clemens, Isabella, "Integrating Objectification and Social Role Theories: A Proposed Framework for Analyzing Media Objectification of Female Athletes" (2022). Student Publications. 992.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/992