Asymmetry in Gender Representations: An Exploratory Study on Gendered Semiotic Landscapes in the University

 

Asymmetry in Gender Representations: An Exploratory Study on Gendered Semiotic Landscapes in the University

Jollibee Angchangco Aharul

Introduction

            Gender balance  in all the institutions of society, such as religion, economy, culture, polity, and education, together with gender mainstreaming -- a strategy of integrating a gender equality perspective at all stages and levels of policies, programs and projects -- can make a significant leap in achieving the ultimate goal of gender equality. And since these two strategies have been identified as parts of the primary goals in the transformation agenda of the United Nations (UN) in all areas of political, economic, and societal spheres for gender and development; several measures are in place. However, despite the policy development, research work, advocacy and dialogues, legislation, resource allocations; and numerous programs and projects; gender equality remains, as far off as ever. Thus, queries about whether the existing procedures from the upper echelons are adequate enough to reduce gender stereotyping and discrimination, or maybe there is a need to revisit the grassroots levels, have become another contentious topic of debate.

            To ensure contributions in resolving global gender issues, discourses on the relationship between gender, education, and linguistic studies are also in progress. Since the 1970s, scholars have investigated how language and gender are interrelated. Feminist scholars, to be exact, constantly attempt to undermine the factors affecting gender issues, through  articulating the foundations and consequences of language and gender challenges. It is assumed that one of the underlying perpetrators of the persistent complexity in sustaining equal gendered social arrangements is the asymmetry in gender representations. According to Lazar (2007), gender ideology and asymmetrical power relations in discourse continuously emerge and are consistently taking on quite subtle forms in different communities. Furthermore, gendered assumptions and hegemonic power relations are discursively produced and sustained in different contexts, such as in learning institutions.

            Schools and universities play a crucial role in stressing the empowerment of all genders for equitable development. And since youngsters’ perspectives on gender are greatly shaped by their learning and experiences in schools; what they see, hear, and feel about gender representations must be in accordance with the goals and objectives of social emancipation and transformation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  Apparently, gender issues and problems such as differences and disparities are still evident elsewhere – and schools are no exceptions. Noticeably, texts, signs, and symbols situated for certain communicative intentions in educational institutions, have become exclusive to binary genders. And worse, the dominance of patriarchy ideology or hegemonic masculinity, is  even often manifested in gendered landscapes situated in the shared spaces in schools. How can students be a partner in  achieving gender balance and gender mainstreaming if the visual content they see in school is proven to be gender-biased? Research shows that textual or image-based communications can greatly affect public opinion and sentiments, which can eventually lead to severe consequences (Zontone,P., Boato G., & De Natale,G., 2009). Students are expected to be guided with accurate and adequate information that can be substantial in the transformative agenda by the society.

This study aims at presenting the variability in gender representations as observed in the semiotic landscapes of the communal areas in one university in Cebu, Philippines. The investigation was meant to ascertain the quality of representation of the represented genders by articulating the salient features of the visual elements (image and color) of the posters, publicly displayed in the select shared areas inside the chosen research environment. It is anticipated that the results of this study can be utilized to enhance the existing policies and praxis pertaining to information materials such as publicly displayed signs and signages not only in the schools but also in the community; can provide data for future research directions pertaining to gender visibility, gender balance, gender mainstreaming; can help strengthening the use of gender-fair communication in education; and can open doors to improving the gender-fair strategies and programs in the community extension works and classroom instructions which target Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5- Gender Equality.

Methodology

            Qualitative design was utilized in this research endeavor. The discussions are centered on the quality of representation of the represented genders in the  school signages, labels, and safety posters found in the university’s shared spaces, namely the activity center, assembly hall, and student lounge. Along with the theoretical perspectives on gender, the texts, images, and symbols were analyzed using discourse analysis and social semiotic multimodal approaches, exploring and interpreting the meanings of the linguistic or visual images and sociolinguistic contents.

 

Analysis

            Figure 1 shows COVID 19 signage for cough and sneeze etiquette. The image is taken from one of the side walls of the university’s activity center. Before the pandemic, this space was one of the most occupied for recreational activities and academic events by the faculty members, school staff, and the students; but there was no signage yet that can be seen in any of its area. As part of the world-wide campaign and prevention strategy, posting of COVID 19 resources is mandated, particularly in public areas.

              Apparently, despite the size of the activity center, the poster highlighted in Figure 1 is the only semiotic landscape available in the area.  The printed resource contains textual and graphic components. At first glance, the signage may just be ordinary, but using the gender perspective; gender-based differences are implied in the character images. According to Iedema (2003), images produce substantial messages with deeper meanings. Thus, for profound understanding of the intended message, visual elements of images should be taken into consideration (Leeuwen, 2005).

Gender binary is presented but the number of images that represent the masculine group clearly outstrips the feminine; there are two pictures representing the former while there is only one for the latter.  Next is the position of the three images, wherein the woman clipart is placed below the first man and on the left- hand side of the second man. Placing one man above the two pictures of binary genders (female on the left), having an asymmetrical balance in the image positioning-- and using an unbalanced number of characters to represent both genders, clearly manifests that the masculine group is foregrounded. Furthermore, another distinct characteristic of the poster is the actions that correspond with the messages. While it is true that everyone wears a face mask or uses tissue paper, covering with elbow when sneezing or coughing is unusual for women. As observed, the majority of women also use tissue paper or handkerchief. Additionally, the woman’s use of one hand glove adds up to a peculiarity to the representation. It seemingly presents the odd side of women both in character and preference. To sum up, the use of a masculine character to represent ‘everyone’ or ‘common practice’ is visible in the first analyzed semiotic resource.

            Figure 2 exhibits the university’s student lounge. This is an open area designated to facilitate students’ studying and relaxing activities. The space is at the ground level of a seven-floor school building. According to DepEd Order No.48 (2012), high risk areas inside the school must be identified with proper labels and precautions. As can be seen from Figure 2, the poster of earthquake preparedness is readily made available for public view. 

            The poster has the elements of texts, images and colors. It contains sections with textual contents of three earthquake safety tips, namely: “DUCK”, “COVER”, and “HOLD”; clipart images of a table and a man; and colors: blue, green, and white. Using the lens of gender perspective, I would say that the poster is gendered; exclusively representing masculinity. The argument can be supported by the following: first is the use of a man as the figure, executing all the three safety tips, and the second is the use of the color blue as a prominent color in the poster. 

Promotion of an idea in a public space through written or visual communication is intended to entice the general audience. In this context, the intended recipients are the students, the faculty members, the university staff, the parents, and other stakeholders. But why is there only one gender in the poster that represents the ‘entire school community’? How come there is an asymmetry of gender representations manifested in the number of visual communication materials and the visual elements available in the shared spaces of the university? 

Apparently, there is a relative number of signages in the university’s shared spaces with the same obvious image features. In Figure 3, it can be seen that out of five COVID-19-school signages posted on the left side of the university’s assembly hall, only one poster shows a figure representing women. All the other posters contain pictures of men. Figures 2 and 3, show the foregrounding of men's representations in terms of figure and color to communicate information about earthquake preparedness and COVID-19 prevention.

            Traditional views of masculinity include physical strength, courage, and independence. Likewise, unlike women who are emotionally-inclined and have higher tendency to panic, men on the opposite, are logically-driven and could remain calm and assertive when emergency situations arise. Generally speaking, these male-traits are perceived to be greatly needed at some point in emergency situations such as during intense earthquakes or pandemic. However, because natural hazards are gender-neutral, gender dynamics of disaster risk and resilience absolutely takes place. Although many believe that males tend to be thrill-seeking and risk prone, they become less casualties when there are disasters. There are some studies that show that conventional gender roles tend to resurface in the aftermath of disasters (University of Colorado at Boulder, 2019). While the circumstances surrounding the events were very different, common gender-influenced patterns emerged. Women are more disadvantaged, particularly after calamities. Bhadra (2017), claimed that women are often the most vulnerable group of human-made and natural disasters. Numbers also show that most women, both adults and youngsters, suffer more than men in various types of disasters such as earthquakes.  It should also be highlighted that the impact of disasters discriminate genders (Gender and Disasters (Part I), 2020), where women survivors are often disproportionately affected, getting more serious consequences, which includes extended mental trauma. 

         Now, let us look into the color presentation. For all the posters in Figures 2 and 3, three dominant colors are  persistent,  but blue and green are the most prominent. Since at least the 19th century, specific colors have been identified as gender signifiers. From apparel to toys selection, blue for instance, became the most popular as “color for boys” (Paoletti, 2012). And conventionally, even up to the present, it is the same color used for a ‘baby boy’ gender reveal. In the article ‘How to Use Color Psychology To Trigger Emotions With Your Poster’ (2017), key concepts of color generalities and emotional responses are explained. When used as visual modality of communication, blue symbolizes security, trust, reliability, and peace; and is also associated with calmness, intellect, and often toughness -- all traditional typical attributions of masculinity. It is also interesting to note that in color theory, blue is in the primary level and is considered one of the leading colors. 

            Almost all posters are illuminated by color blue, a color that seems to be prominent and important, to be able to serve the overall purpose of the printed materials. As a predominant element symbolizing masculinity, I would use color blue to interpret men’s place in the society. In this context, I would argue that like blue, which is presented as one prominent signifying marker in almost all of the posters in the university’s shared spaces; men also take political dominance in the public. In the news article posted by The Associated Press (2019) statistics show that there is serious regression in the political power of women across the world in the recent years – women outnumbered by men with less than 7% that became world leaders. And the relapse is blamed to political violence, verbal abuse, and social media defamation experienced by the female candidates. There is a marginal number of powerful women who take the lead because men’s prominence is mainstreaming. And this is where hegemonic masculinity takes place.

          Hegemonic masculinity is defined as a practice that justifies men's dominant position in society and the subjection of the general male population, women, and other marginalized male identities. And, asymmetry in gender representations illustrated such as in visual semiotic materials (like in the universities) --making masculinity more dominant over the others – can create hegemonic masculinity potentials.

          Figure 4 shows Google image search result of different posters of earthquake preparedness. As can be seen, there are other posters with different designs comprising various colors and textual contents; but all images use only one figure representing one specific gender. This is different from the COVID-19 awareness and prevention signages in Figure 5. The random image search results show the visual element dynamics incorporated in the different components of the COVID-19 information materials. Google image search can show several semiotic resources that are comprised with various colors (associated with diverse traits); numerous textual messages (with distinct meanings); and gender-unspecific pictures. So what does this mean in this corpus of data?

          Visual contents such as in figures 4 and 5 may still demonstrate insufficiency in gander-sensitive communication. Communications in all modes  should be gender inclusive to ensure that all genders are portrayed equitably and fairly. If there is effort to put gender forms of bias aside through equally presenting the binary genders (if not all) in all forms of communication modes such as in schools’ signages and posters; gender balance may be possible.

Conclusion

                    In this exploratory study, I analyze the quality of gender representations in the visual semiotic resources displayed in the shared spaces of the university. Results showed that gender asymmetry is evident; women are subjugated and less visible. The patterns of the semiotic elements may be interpreted as subordinated position of women and can possibly create an interpretation of hegemonic masculinity with components of man’s preponderant power and leadership. Since the issues on gender balance has long been considered controversial and unresolved, communication materials particularly in schools (affecting viewers’ public opinions and sentiments) should carefully be chosen; ensuring that there is symmetry in the representations of all genders. Semiotic landscapes contribute to the constructs of reality – shaping distinctiveness, like gender identity, gender roles, and gender stereotypes. Thus, balanced portrayal of all genders in public spaces such as in shared areas in the learning institutions, can already contribute to the transformations of gender categories and inequalities in political power and representations.

References:

The Associated Press (2019, March 13). In politics, women seriously outnumbered by men; less than 7% make world leaders, only 24% make lawmakers, says UN. Retrieved from Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/world/in-politics-women-seriously-outnumbered-by-men-less-than-7-make-world-leaders-only-24-make-lawmakers-says-un-6248411.html

 

Bhadra, S. (2017). Women in Disasters and Conflicts in India: Interventions in View of the Millennium Development Goals . International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 196-2017.

Colorado University (2019, September 20). When natural disasters strike, men and women respond differently. Retrieved from ScienceDaily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190920095218.htm

 

DepEd Order, N. (2012). Quarterly Conduct of the National School-Based Earthquake and Fire Drills. Retrieved from Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DO_s2012_48.pdf

Gender and Disasters (Part I). (2020, 14 September). Retrieved from Connecting Business Initiative: https://www.connectingbusiness.org/news-events/blog/gender-and-disasters-part-i

 

Gender Equality Tool: Definition of Gender Mainstreaming. (1996-2017). Retrieved from International Labour Organization (ILO): https://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/gender/newsite2002/about/defin.htm

 

How To Use Color Psychology To Trigger Emotions with Your Poster. (2017). Retrieved from ChilliPrinting: https://www.chilliprinting.com/Online-Printing-Blog/use-color-psychology-emotions-poster/

 

Iedema, R. (2003). Multimodality, resemiotization: Extending the analysis of discourse as multi-semiotic practice. Visual Communication, 2(1), 29-57. DOI:10.1177/147035720300200175

 

Lazar, M. (2007). Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis: Articulating a Feminist Discourse Praxis, Critical Discourse Studies. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, Vol.4, No.2, pp.141-164.

Leeuwen, T. V. (2005). Introducing Social Semiotics. Routledge-Taylor & Francis Group.

 

Paoletti, J. B. (Retrieved 10 June 2022). Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America. Indiana University Press. p. 2.

 

Zontone,P., Boato G., & De Natale,G. (2009). “Image diversity analysis: Context, opinion and bias,”. Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Living Web: Making Web Diversity a True Asset. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.204.3932&rep=rep1&type=pdf