Social Construction of the Gender Features of a Disabled Person`s Image (Based on the Content-Analysis of Media Articles)

Background. Media performs an important role in the social construction of an image of a disability. In its turn, that image influences the reader`s generated value orientation and behavioral attitudes towards the disabled persons. One of the main problems is that in most media articles disabled persons are not differentiated by sex. This raises the question of whether there is a description of the disabled persons` gender features in articles where their sex is specified.

Objective. To conduct a content-analysis of the news articles in order to reveal gender-specific features of the social construction of a disabled person`s image in aspects of behavior, social interaction and personality characteristics.

Sample. 107 media articles published during the period from December 2020 to August 2021 in the RBC, RIA Novosti, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, TASS, Izvestia.

Methods. The media article texts were analyzed using content-analysis. For this purpose, the authors selected 27 categories in a coordinated expert assessment. These categories are related to three parameters: disabled person's actions, interaction with a disabled person and personality characteristics. Contingency tables were constructed and frequency analysis of the categories used in the descriptions of the disabled men and women were conducted based on obtained data.

Results and conclusion. The frequency distribution of the categories used in media articles shows that description of disabled persons corresponds to gender social role stereotypes. At the same time, the ways of social interaction of disabled men and women are different. Disabled men are focused on communication with a principal-agent, while disabled women address those involved in some situation. When disabled women are described there are violations of the readers` expectations regarding their greater vulnerability. In other words disabled women are presented as more persistent compared to disabled men. 

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