Representation of pregnant women in turkish tv series

This study aims to analyze how representations of pregnant women are shaped in Turkish television series and how these representations are associated with gender roles and motherhood myths. For this purpose, the TV series Asla Vazgeçmem (Turgut, 2015-2016) was selected as the case to be analyzed using the content analysis method. The study evaluates the impact of media on gender identity within the framework of George Gerbner's cultivation theory and Roland Barthes' concept of myth. The main argument of the study is that pregnant women are often represented in stereotypical and negative ways in Turkish television series and that these representations reinforce gender roles and create pressure on women. Pregnant women in TV series are often presented as fragile, emotional, dependent on men and as characters who do not have an identity outside the role of motherhood. These representations contribute to the formation and reinforcement of gender myths, such as that the value of women is measured by their fertility and motherhood, which is assumed to be the only and most important duty of womanhood. In this study, the myths associated with the representations of pregnant women were analyzed through the characters Nazan, Elmas, and Iclal in the TV series Asla Vazgeçmem (Turgut, 2015-2016). Through the critical analysis of these characters, it was determined that the myths of measuring the value of a woman by pregnancy, using the child as a tool of manipulation by the mother, pregnancy becoming an ambition and obsession, and pregnancy being used as a weapon in the power struggle among women were reproduced in the series. Television series shape social perceptions and reproduce existing myths with their ability to reach large audiences. Therefore, the media should be more sensitive to gender equality and include representations that empower women and present them in diverse roles. Keywords: Women, Pregnancy, TV Series, Cultivation Theory, Myths