Submission Type
Poster
Start Date
4-21-2022
Abstract
Popular approaches to and understandings of reproductive and sexual health have changed greatly over the course of history. The changing quality of our collective perceptions of these topics is largely owed to the way in which news sources frame issues involving reproductive and sexual health. Comparing New York Times articles published in 1960 to those published in 2020, this research aims to analyze the role the media plays in framing certain practices involved in the maintenance of reproductive and sexual health and the claim of one’s bodily autonomy, as well as how this role has changed over time. Findings of this research suggest that the approach the media has taken in reporting on issues of reproductive and sexual health has progressed within this 60-year span, growing away from the application of a negative connotation to these issues, which aimed to hinder their relevance, and adopting a more educational and informational approach, which, instead, highlights their relevance. By doing so, we gain a greater understanding of how certain practices become aligned with or separated from widely accepted illustrations of reproductive and sexual health, and how popular discourse surrounding topics of sex has evolved.
Recommended Citation
Rule, Sara, "216 -- Changing Perceptions of Reproductive and Sexual Health: A Qualitative Content Analysis of the New York Times (1960 vs. 2020)" (2022). GREAT Day Posters. 75.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2022/posters-2022/75
216 -- Changing Perceptions of Reproductive and Sexual Health: A Qualitative Content Analysis of the New York Times (1960 vs. 2020)
Popular approaches to and understandings of reproductive and sexual health have changed greatly over the course of history. The changing quality of our collective perceptions of these topics is largely owed to the way in which news sources frame issues involving reproductive and sexual health. Comparing New York Times articles published in 1960 to those published in 2020, this research aims to analyze the role the media plays in framing certain practices involved in the maintenance of reproductive and sexual health and the claim of one’s bodily autonomy, as well as how this role has changed over time. Findings of this research suggest that the approach the media has taken in reporting on issues of reproductive and sexual health has progressed within this 60-year span, growing away from the application of a negative connotation to these issues, which aimed to hinder their relevance, and adopting a more educational and informational approach, which, instead, highlights their relevance. By doing so, we gain a greater understanding of how certain practices become aligned with or separated from widely accepted illustrations of reproductive and sexual health, and how popular discourse surrounding topics of sex has evolved.
Comments
Sponsored by Amy Braksmajer