This research study was designed to examine how gender roles/norms at the time of these shows’ production influenced the way that they portrayed female characters. Additionally, its purpose was to explore the gender messages present throughout about the history of teen television, and how these messages influence adolescents’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors about gender, sex, and sexuality. These roles may also be important in creating gender scripts, which outline appropriate gendered behaviors in specific situations. Through social learning theory, these adolescents may use these examples of gender scripts and adopt them into their own lives. Overall, the majority of gender messages present were normative in that they reinforced gender roles and stereotypes.
There are some limitations to the textual analysis method used in this study. One of the limitations of using a qualitative research method is that the study is dependent upon the reading of the text by the researcher. Also, the study used only three episodes from each of the 10 television shows, and future research could look at other television shows in the teen programming market. The limits of time and money restricted the use of more teen television shows. Also only looking at three episodes from the first season of each series is limiting as they may not encompass all of the series’ themes and messages.
This research method did not look directly at the effects of gender stereotypes on adolescents but examined the implications that these stereotypes may have on adolescent viewers. In future scholarship, researchers could study the direct link between gender stereotypes portrayed on teen television and the attitudes and behaviors developed by adolescents. Future research should also look at how characters who defy gender stereotypes are portrayed and what consequences they face when they do.