Gender Stereotypings in Iranian Television Drama(Mar.2004-Mar.2005)

: One of the main classifications in human societies is based on sex. Although this kind of classification is originated from the physiology of human being but it can result in some stereotypes about men and women. Stereotypes are traits which can be attributed to all members of a group without considering the differences between them. In other words stereotypes are part of the thoughts and beliefs of each society which can be reproduced within the mainstream culture and transfer to generation after generation. Sometimes these stereotypes can achieve a strong base in the society as if they are a kind of natural quality. In contemporary societies, mass media including T.V. is one of the most responsible mechanisms for reproducing the culture and its elements. In this article it is tried to answer the following questions: What kind of gender stereotypes are presented in Iranian T.V. programs? Is there any link between these stereotypes and Iranian traditional culture? The method applied in this research is qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The present study demonstrated that while in Iranian traditional culture, women have been described as deceitful, foolish, unfaithful, passive, inferior; men are described as truthful, wise, loyal, active and superior. It is interesting to note that some of these stereotypes such as being deceitful or passive are still reproduced in Iranian T.V. dramas, and being unwise mostly is attributed to women. Generally speaking, women are portrayed as second sex and inferior to men as superior, active, truthful and loyal. These images are even articulated in family structure which is presented in T.V. dramas.