'A Woman's Place ...': Male Representations of University Women in the Student Press of the University of Liverpool 1944-1979

Aiston, S.J.

Abstract

Deciphering the manner in which women have been, and continue to be, represented in society is an integral element of a feminist critique. This article explores male representations of university women as presented in the student press of the University of Liverpool between 1944 and 1979. It is suggested that university women were represented as ‘other’ and stereotyped in a negative manner in the years 1944 to 1959. Furthermore, they were presented as unattractive, unwelcome, and in most cases at university to find a husband. The years 1960 to 1979 signified a shift with regard to the representation of university women; however, continuity with the earlier period was retained in the visual imagery of female students and the way in which ‘careers’ were presented as distinctly male. University women remained part of the ‘male gaze’ and were, ultimately judged on the basis of their sexual attractiveness to the derision of their intellectual abilities.

Citation

Aiston, S. (2006). 'A Woman's Place ...': Male Representations of University Women in the Student Press of the University of Liverpool 1944-1979. Women's History Review, 15(1), 3-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/09612020500440838

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Feb 19, 2008
• Journal: Women's History Review
• Print ISSN: 0961-2025
• Electronic ISSN: 1747-583X
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 3-34
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09612020500440838
• Keywords: Visual image, Stereotype, Sexism.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1600614