Representation of women in media in the context of cultural indicators and cultivation theory -A sample of Kirsehir province-

Positioned as the fourth force in the societies which have democratic legal system, the media has the power to manage perceptions and gather communities around a certain goal and idea. In this thesis, the perception of houseviews of other women's representation created by the media -which is the most intensively applied tool for perception management studies - is examined in detail. It is aimed to determine how houseviews with similar demographic characteristics perceive female characters in television programs and how they develop attitudes and behaviours as a result of this perception in the context of Gerbner's Cutural Indicators and Cultivation Theory. Fort his purpose, in the first part, the phenomenon of the media has been exemined functionally and structurally and Cultural Indicators and Cultivation Theory has been explained in detail. In the second chapter, perception management and concepts related to perception management concept have been explained; sex, gender and gender roles have been defined and women's representation on the media has been handled through examples selected from various television programs. In the third part, the perception of women created/managed by television -as a mass communication tool- has been exemined within the sample of 20 housewievs selected from Kırşehir province by applying "in-depth interview" which is used in qualitative researches. The findings have been evaluated within the framework of Gerbner's Cultural Indicators and Cultivation Theory. Key words: Perception, Perception Management, Gender, Perception of Women, Representation of Women on Media, Cultural Indicators and Cultivation Theory