Gender Sensitivity in Chinese Mainstream Media:The Analysis of Peoples Daily and Xinhua Net on the Issues of the Third Judicial Interpretation of Chinese Marriage Law

Abstract

Gender equality and media have long been important issues of concern worldwide. This research aims to gauge gender sensitivity in Chinese mainstream media. In order to achieve this goal, I choose Peoples Daily and Xinhua Net as representatives of Chinese mainstream media and do content analysis of the two outlets reports on the Third Judicial Interpretation of Chinese Marriage Law for the period of Nov. 15, 2010 to Sept. 1, 2015. Based on the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media published by UNESCO, this research is divided into two sections: gender portrayal in the media and gender equality issues in the media.

In the section on gender portrayal in the media, I choose man and womans role, behaviors, and characteristics as the units of content and code the content in Peoples Daily and Xinhua Nets news reports regarding the Third Judicial Interpretation of Chinese Marriage Law. The results of the content analysis are compared to stereotypical characteristics of femininity and masculinity. Then I make a comparative study on gender portrayal using the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2012. I find that the portrayal of men and women in the reports about the interpretation have a close relationship with femininity and masculinity. Gender stereotypes can be found in them. Also, the reports show a tendency to urge women to change rather than men.

The section on gender equality issues in the media is divided into three parts: coverage of gender equality issues, analysis of gender equality issues based on various types of feminist thought, and news classifications beyond the gendered dichotomy between soft news and hard news.

In the first two parts, according to previous studies on the Third Judicial Interpretation of Chinese Marriage Law and gender equality, I summarize three aspects of gender equality in the interpretation: gender equality in property rights, gender equality in reproductive rights, and neglect of rural womens rights. Then I analyze these issues based on liberal, multi-cultural, and radical feminist approaches.

In the part about news classifications, I find that Peoples Daily and Xinhua Nets news reports about the Third Judicial Interpretation of Chinese Marriage Law are placed into the category of hard news. Although some news reports concentrate on individual feelings, which entertain and may evoke emotions, they are still classified as hard news. Therefore, categories of news reports on the Third Judicial Interpretation of Chinese Marriage Law in Xinhua Net and Peoples Daily break the usual gendered dichotomy of soft and hard news.

To sum up, Peoples Daily and Xinhua Net show gender sensitivity to some extent. The findings of this research are expected to improve gender mainstreaming in Chinese mainstream media.