GENDER DEPICTIONS OF THE PROFESSIONALLY EMPLOYED - A CONTENT-ANALYSISOF TRADE PUBLICATIONS, 1960-1990

Visual gender depictions in six trade publications are examined in dec ennial years from 1960 through 1990 to assess whether greater female p articipation in professional occupations and editorial staffs has help ed reduce gender stereotyping of professional women. Greater relative numbers of women in the occupation over time and an increasing share o f female editors result in more favorable portrayals of women as profe ssional, confident, independent, and attractive. Although the positive portrayal of women by male-dominated professional journals increased over the last four decades, more male-oriented professional publicatio ns still display women less favorably than occurs in female-dominant t rade journals. Separate analyses by visual type reveal that women are depicted in a less positive manner across advertisements than other vi suals, probably because women have less control of ad content. Finding s indicate the importance of agents who control visual depictions for the maintenance or reduction of gender stereotyping in the professions . Likely ramifications of such stereotypes for women professionals and for professional behavior in general are discussed.