Representations of masculinity and femininity and portraits of men and women in Portuguese literature

Abstract

An analysis of work produced on the representations of masculinity and femininity during the past century reveals that these were object of few transformations, in spite of the important changes that occurred in women’s social condition. The images of men and women transmitted by family, school and mass media also do not reflect the transformation of women’s lives. Therefore, many authors conclude that those images contribute to the permanence of the traditional representations of masculinity and femininity, and, consequently, to the maintenance of the asymmetrical relations between men and women. The study presented here aims at analyzing the messages transmitted to the Portuguese pupils by the writings designated as compulsory readings at the secondary school level. We examine the differences between the portraits depicted by the authors of the 19th century and present-day images and representations of masculinity and femininity, and we discuss the reasons and consequences of the maintenance of old feminine models in present-day social representations and cultural productions.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v18i1.410