Narratives of Women and Gender Relations in Chinese Covid-19 Frontline Reports in 2020
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15480959 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shuoyu Fang (0000-0003-3675-5619, Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Li Zou (0000-0001-6226-590X, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 4359-4359 |
| Publication date | 2023-02-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph20054359 |
| PMID | 36901368 |
| OpenAlex | W4322742810 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 20 |
This article analyzes the representation of women in Chinese news reports about COVID-19 in order to examine the consequences of the pandemic on gender relations in China. It draws on the linguistic framework of appraisal theory for identifying evaluative language and takes Chinese news reports on the COVID-19 frontline in 2020 as the major data sources. The study finds that while the narrative about women's capacity in combating the virus, resolution in the face of adversity, and sense of responsibility help build a shared feeling of community to reconstruct the disturbed social order, the descriptions about the evaluation and feelings of female characters lead to undesirable outcomes in gender relations in China. Specifically, the newspapers' reports on COVID-19 mainly focus on group interests and accomplishments and overlook women's contributions in containing the pandemic. Meanwhile, the news reports devoted to constructing model female characters that highlight transcendent qualities place considerable pressure on everyday women. Furthermore, journalists tend to infuse their reports with gender bias when depicting women, including aesthetic appreciation of appearance and a focus on emotional reactions and domestic roles, which hinders the professional identity of women. This article sheds light on gender relations in China amid the pandemic, as well as the study of gender equality in media discourse
Aesthetics · Appraisal theory · China · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Face (sociological concept · Feeling · Focus group · Identity (music · Linguistics · Media studies · Narrative · Newspaper · Pandemic · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology
Evaluation in Text
The mental health of medical workers in Wuhan, China dealing with the 2019 novel coronavirus
Work stress among Chinese nurses to support Wuhan in fighting against Covid‐19 epidemic
Domestic help and the gender division of domestic labor during the Covid ‐19 pandemic
Gender Gaps within Couples
Feminist Thought
The Multiple Dimensions of Gender Stereotypes
Women’s and men’s work, housework and childcare, before and during Covid-19
Nurses’ Sleep Quality of “Fangcang” Hospital in China during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Covid-19 created a gender gap in perceived work productivity and job satisfaction
Women, Gender equality and Covid-19
Gendering National Sacrifices
Parenthood as a driver of increased gender inequality during Covid-19? Exploratory evidence from Germany
Ambient affiliation
Women and burnout in the context of a pandemic
Sex Differences in Emotionality
Does the coronavirus pandemic level the gender inequality curve? (It doesn’t)
The strategic ritual of emotionality in Chinese and Australian hard news
The journalist, the housewife, the citizen and the press
Structure of gender stereotypes
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |