A qualitative study on the evaluation of gender representation in media by sociology students

The study focuses on the relationship between media and audience and examines the thoughts of undergraduate sociology students, who are considered to be gender-aware, on gender representations in the media. In this way, it will be understood whether sociology students take into account the gender perspective in their explanations of society. Under the guidance of feminist methodological approach, it is aimed to reveal the norms that lead to inequality between genders and to reveal how sociology students make sense of gender representations in the media. In this direction, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 undergraduates third and fourth degree students studying at state universities in Ankara, and as a result, it was found that the students evaluated the representations of men and women in the media negatively and thought that stereotypes were recreated in the media and harmed equality. While it is stated that gender roles and norms are abused for the sake of sensation and ratings, there are also students who see the issue from different perspectives. The views of the participants reveal how the impact of compulsory or elective gender courses in the sociology undergraduate curriculum should be interpreted.