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Jou nal o Resea ch in Gende S udies 8(2), 2018
pp. 169–200, ISSN 2164-0262, eISSN 2378-3524 doi:10.22381/JRGS82201810
GENDER STUDIES IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH:
A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS
PUBLISHED IN SPANISH JOURNALS INDEXED IN
THE JOURNAL CITATION REPORTS (JCR) AND
THE SCIMAGO JOURNAL RANK (SJR) (1988–2017)
BELÉN ZURBANO-BERENGUER
bzu ban[email p o ec ed]
Facul y o Communica ion,
The Uni e si y o Se ille
(co esponding au ho )
LORENA CANO-ORÓN
Depa men o Language Theo y
and Communica ion Sciences,
The Uni e si y o Valencia
IRENE LIBERIA VAYÁ
Facul y o Communica ion,
The Uni e si y o Se ille
ABSTRACT. This pape desc ibes he e olu ion o gende - ela ed esea ch in indexed
communica ion jou nals in Spain, on he basis o a comp ehensi e analysis o all
hose pape s ela ing o gende s udies ha we e published be ween 1988 and 2017.
Speci ically, i analyses he scien i ic p oduc ion o Spanish jou nals indexed in he
“communica ion” ca ego y o he Jou nal Ci a ion Repo s (JCR) and he SCImago
Jou nal Rank (SJR), in which he p esence and de elopmen o wo ks ela ing o
gende and women’s s udies ha e been assessed. The s udy ime ame co e s a
pe iod om 1988, when he i s jou nal appea ed, o 2017, wi h a se o 8,300
pape s. The esul s highligh he ollowing: 1. Gende s udies a e hin on he g ound
in Spanish communica ion jou nals; 2. The majo i y o hese s udies we e conduc ed
by one au ho and when mo e han one was in ol ed, he co-au ho s we e no mally
Spanish; 3. Mos o he s udies we e pe o med by women; 4. Mainly quali a i e
me hodologies we e employed; and 5. Thema ically speaking, hey ocused on he
s udy o iden i ies and s e eo ypes. No wi hs anding he g adual inc ease in he
numbe o s udies o his ype, conside ing he a - eaching legisla i e changes and
he social p og ess in gende and equali y ha ha e occu ed o e he pas 15 yea s
in Spain, he esul s pose a po en ial con adic ion be ween he social, poli ical, and
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academic in e es ha gende issues cu en ly awaken and hei unde ep esen a ion
in Spanish communica ion jou nals.
Keywo ds: social communica ion; gende s udies; eminism; academic jou nals;
scien i ic esea ch; Spain
How o ci e: Zu bano-Be engue , Belén, Lo ena Cano-O ón, and I ene Libe ia Vayá (2018).
“Gende S udies in Communica ion Resea ch: A Longi udinal Analysis o Scien i ic Pape s
Published in Spanish Jou nals Indexed in he Jou nal Ci a ion Repo s (JCR) and he SCImago
Jou nal Rank (SJR) (1988–2017),” Jou nal o Resea ch in Gende S udies 8(2): 169–200.
Recei ed 2 May 2018 • Recei ed in e ised o m 24 July 2018
Accep ed 2 Augus 2018 • A ailable online 25 Augus 2018
1. In oduc ion
The esea ch ield o gende s udies has g own o e ime o become a speci ic
subjec in some uni e si y p og ams in se e al coun ies, such as India
(Nagalia, 2018), Spain (Ve ge & Cab uja, 2017), Sweden (Söde lund &
Madison, 2015), and he Ne he lands (Pa lidou, 2011), among o he s. Speci -
ically, in Spain, despi e no ha ing a esea ch uni o e ing ins i u ional sup-
po and unding o his speci ic discipline, as is he case in o he coun ies,
i.e. some in No he n Eu ope (Lomba do, 2016; Söde lund & Madison, 2015),
he e has been a clea inc ease in scien i ic and academic esea ch pe aining
o gende o e he pas ew yea s. A he same ime, om a s uc u al
pe spec i e, equali y plans ha e been implemen ed a Spanish uni e si ies in
o de o elimina e he gende gap and p omo e he pa icipa ion o women in
he scien i ic ield. No wi hs anding his, he e is s ill much wo k o be done
in o de o e adica e gende inequali ies in he academic sphe e (Pas o
Gosalbez & Acos a Sa mien o, 2016).
Tu ning o he esea ch issues ha a e he p ima y ocus o his pape , in
such di e se disciplines as medicine, sociology, psychology, his o y and
educa ion, o name bu a ew, he so-called “gende and women’s s udies”1
ha e g adually come o he o e in scien i ic esea ch, con ibu ing new
app oaches, objec s o s udy and me hodologies. Communica ion as a ield
o s udy has ollowed he same end, as can be seen in he numbe o wo ks
published in ecen decades abou cybe space as a symbolic si e o social and
eminis deba e (Rod íguez-Da ias & Aguile a-A ila, 2017; Webe , 2014;
Reade , 2012) o ocusing on communica ion as a ool o he e adica ion o
gende iolence (Luengo, 2018; Rod íguez-Pé ez & Gu ié ez, 2017; Lindsay-
B isbin, Dep ince & Wel on-Mi chell, 2014; Wozniak & McCloskey, 2010;
Ca lyle, Sla e & Chak o , 2008), among many o he examples.
A an in e na ional le el, he i s s udy o he s a e o he esea ch in he
ields o communica ion and gende s udies which we ha e been able o ind
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da es om 1983, sho ly a e high-quali y jou nals had s a ed o publish
pape s on women’s s udies. A ha ime, hese kinds o wo ks usually co e ed
he ollowing opics: a) His o ical ea men o women; b) Sex di e ences; c)
Images o women in he media; d) Educa ion and pedagogy; and e) Su eys
and in eg a ed wo ks. Thei au ho s called o he need o pe o m mo e dis-
cou se analyses, as well as mo e s udies o women’s mo emen s; hey also
specula ed abou “ hose women he e o o e neglec ed in […] jou nals” (Foss
& Foss, 1983: 200). Mo e ecen ly, a numbe o in e es ing s udies ha e been
conduc ed in F ance, whe e Jullia d (2016) a gues ha communica ion and
gende s udies mos ly adop a semio ic app oach, analyzing he media con-
s uc ion o gende . Howe e , e en hough gende s udies we e no so popula
he e be o e he u n o he cen u y, mo e in e disciplina y esea ch app oaches
ha e eme ged since hen, including hose speci ically ocusing on he ole o
he media (Bisca a , 2015). Fu he mo e, ha ing analyzed he wo ks add ess-
ing gende s udies wi hin he ield o communica ion in F ance and La in
Ame ica, He nández O ellana (2018) a gues ha despi e ep esen ing e y
di e en sociopoli ical con ex s and esea ch adi ions, esea ch on gende
and he In e ne is on he inc ease in bo h a eas. The La in Ame ican case,
o i s pa , s ands ou because o he in e es o esea che s in s udying he
media agenda on eminism.
In Spain, eminis app oaches ha e g adually made in oads in he ield o
communica ion – as wi h o he s such as sociology (DiF ancesco & Ochoa,
2017) and psychology (Ga zia & Lopez-Za a, 2014). The e o e, ou aim
he e is o use scien i ic p oduc ion o gauge he e olu ion o gende and
women’s s udies in his ield. To his end, and on he basis o p e ious wo ks
using biome ic and me a-analy ical app oaches o communica ion in a b oad
sense, we will ocus on gende and communica ion s udies in o de o analyze
academic p oduc ion in his espec in Spanish communica ion jou nals.
I should also be no ed ha Spain has been a pionee in equali y laws. So,
besides o e ing a gene al o e iew o communica ion and gende esea ch
in he Spanish con ex , he impo ance o ou s udy lies p ecisely in he
compa ison be ween he poli ical commi men o e adica e gende inequali y
and how his has been ecip oca ed in academic p oduc ion. Ano he o ou
aims is o eplica e he s udy in o he coun ies in o de o plo a desc ip i e-
compa a i e global map.
Ou s udy has esul ed om he need o e alua e he ack eco d o
gende s udies in he ield o communica ion in Spain o e he pas ew dec-
ades – wha is s udied, who esea ches, which echniques and me hodologies
a e employed, e c. – o he pu pose o assessing he p esence, e olu ion and
cha ac e is ics o an inc easingly mo e ele an a ea o scien i ic in e es in
communica ion esea ch.
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The in e es in de e mining he s a e o he esea ch in any
ield o scien i ic knowledge should be aken as an indica o o
i s ma u i y. E en mo e so, when ha e o is no limi ed o a me e
desc ip ion o wha is being done, bu p oposes a c i ical e alua ion
o de e mine in some way he quali y o wha is being done.
(Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011)
2. Objec i es
The objec i es a e as ollows:
1. To quan i y he numbe o pape s dedica ed o women’s and gende
s udies in he op Spanish communica ion jou nals, speci ically hose indexed
in JCR and SJR, he wo mos impo an ankings employed o measu e
jou nal quali y and impac .
2. To assess he gende biases ha may exis in cu en communica ion
and gende esea ch in he Spanish scien i ic jou nals unde s udy.
3. To iden i y he main me hodological aspec s o communica ion and
gende esea ch in Spain.
4. To assess he in e na ional collabo a ion and adap a ion o o eign
languages o communica ion and gende esea ch in Spain.
3. Hypo hesis
In line wi h he app oaches p oposed by Reigada Olaizola and Sánchez Ley a
(2007), he p incipal aim o his wo k, which is based on he assump ion ha
gende s udies a e s ill being sidelined in Spanish communica ion esea ch,
is o p o ide esh da a and obse a ions in his ega d.
4. Li e a u e Re iew
4.1. PhD disse a ions
When ying o gauge he impo ance o a discipline o a ield o s udy, he e
is clea e idence ha doc o al p og ams and disse a ions ha e de ini i ely
con ibu ed o he p oduc ion o new knowledge in ha ield (Ki ch &
Fonow, 2012: 99). In his ega d, acco ding o he mos exhaus i e s udies
pe o med o da e, 624 PhD heses ela ing o gende and women’s s udies
we e de ended in Spain om 1975 o 20052 (De To es Ramí ez & To es
Salinas, 2007, 2005). This is solely an es ima e owing o he ac ha he
sea ches we e mos ly pe o med in he au oma ed epe o y TESEO which,
despi e being “ he mos eliable and comp ehensi e cu en ly a ailable” (De
To es Ramí ez & To es Salinas, 2007: 13), does no con ain exhaus i e
da a – some o which a e e oneous o , a bes , incomple e – on indexed PhD
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heses. No wi hs anding his, he igu e p o ided by De To es Ramí ez and
To es Salinas can be ega ded as ep esen a i e o he o al numbe o heses
on gende s udies de ended in Spain un il 2005, inso a as i is he esul o
applying a igo ous me hodology3 based on a complex sea ch algo i hm,
u he supplemen ed by new sea ches and a ho ough examina ion o he
p o isional esul s.
Al hough he esea ch a ea called “women’s s udies” does no ha e a
long adi ion in Spain, i can be a gued ha i cons i u es a well-es ablished
ield o knowledge ha is s eadily gaining g ound, as e lec ed in he da a
p o ided by he a o emen ioned s udies: he a e age inc ease in PhD heses
on gende and women’s s udies is 0.914, a “p ac ically exponen ial g ow h”
(De To es Ramí ez & To es Salinas, 2007: 17), since compa ed wi h he 17
de ended be ween 1976 and 1985, he e we e 73 disse a ions only in 2004.
When he same esea ch algo i hm, as he one employed by De To es
Ramí ez and To es Salinas,4 is applied when sea ching o heses de ended
be ween he academic yea s 2005–2006 and 2017–2018, wi h he aim o sup-
plemen ing he da a un il he p esen day, Teseo yields a o al o 234 esul s.
Howe e , i would be absolu ely essen ial o conduc a comp ehensi e e iew,
such as hose pe o med in he e e ence wo ks, in o de o disca d heses
ha a e in alid o any numbe o easons.5
As o PhD heses on communica ion om a gene al pe spec i e, Jones e
al. (2000) published an in-dep h s udy spanning he yea s 1926–1998. Using
a bibliome ic app oach, he au ho s p o ide in o ma ion on 1550 PhD
disse a ions ocusing on communica ion in Spain. Some o he elemen s and
pe spec i es esea ched in his wo k ha e also been applied o la e s udies:
o ins ance, sex disagg ega ion o au ho da a o uni e si ies whe e doc o al
heses ha e been de ended (Ca a el, O ega & Gai án, 2018; Ca a el-Se a,
O ega-Mohedano & Gai án-Moya, 2017). Besides, o he bibliome ic s udies
ocusing on mo e speci ic a eas wi hin he ield o communica ion ha e been
conduc ed o e he pas yea s (Cas illo & Xi a, 2006; Repiso, Delgado-
López-Cóza & To es-Salinas, 2011a; Repiso, Delgado-López-Cóza &
To es-Salinas, 2011b), as well as mo e comp ehensi e ones analyzing he
gene al si ua ion o PhD heses in Spain (Sanz-Casado, 2018; Blázquez, 2015;
Fuen es Pujol & A guimbau Vi ó, 2010). Gene ally speaking, hese wo ks
wi h a b oade pe spec i e poin o a huge inc ease in he numbe o doc o al
disse a ions de ended a Spanish uni e si ies – inc easing by 180.03%
be ween 2007 and 2016 (Sanz-Casado, 2018: 37) – in which he hema ic a ea
o “social and legal sciences” (which includes he ield o communica ion)
comes in a me i o ious second place, ep esen ing 22.5% o he o al numbe
o PhD heses de ended be ween 1997 and 2008 (Fuen es-Pujol & Aguimbau-
Vi ó, 2010: 68).
Re u ning o gende and women’s s udies, no ing ye again he di icul ies
ha a ise when a emp ing o ga he igo ous and eliable da a on PhD heses

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– and, mo e gene ally, on scien i ic p oduc ion – ela ing o his ield o
knowledge in Spain,6 we con i m ha he e is an u gen need o in oduce a
speci ic ield o his opic in he TESEO classi ica ion sys em.7 Besides, his
is no only a Spanish p oblem bu also needs o be deal wi h a an in e -
na ional le el: he Eu opean epe o y “DART” – con aining mo e han
766,000 open access esea ch heses om 613 uni e si ies in 28 Eu opean
coun ies – and he La in Ame ican websi e “Po al de Tesis La ino-
ame icanas” – p o iding access o elec onic PhD heses a ailable in ull ex
om se e al La in Ame ican coun ies – encoun e simila di icul ies in
p o iding accu a e da a on disse a ions ela ing o women’s, gende and
eminis s udies.
This classi ica ion p oblem also a ec s o he epu ed scien i ic da abases,
like Scopus o Web o Science, because as Söde lund & Madison (2015) ha e
ema ked:
[…] he e is no es ablished o well-de ined way o ca ego ize gende
s udies om o he disciplines. The Scopus da abase, o ins ance,
p o ides no way o pe o ming a gene al sea ch o gende o
women’s s udies. Thomson’s Web o Science has a esea ch a ea
called ‘Women’s s udies,’ bu i seems no o disc imina e gende
s udies well, since o example jou nals dedica ed o women’s
heal h om a medical pe spec i e a e also included. (1351)
F om a mo e gene al poin o iew, o Ki ch (2003) he exclusion o women’s
s udies om he wo ld o esea ch is due o se e al ac o s: o ins ance, he
disjunc u e be ween women’s s udies and esea ch on women and gende , as
e lec ed in he weekly lis ing o new books in he Ch onicle o Highe
Educa ion:
Al hough ha ea u e does some imes con ain a ca ego y called
‘women’s s udies,’ mos o en, new schola ship abou women o
gende is pa celed ou o ca ego ies such as ‘poli ical science,’
‘ eligion,’ o ‘sociology,’ e en i he esea ch behind he books is
a guably in e disciplina y. […] Ano he sign o women’s s udies’
exclusion om he wo ld o esea ch is i s absence as a ca ego y in
lis s o p ospec i e g an s o undable p ojec s by mos ounda ions
o agencies. (Ki ch, 2003: 435)
As Kwasnik has s a ed, classi ica ions a e always c ea ed in a speci ic socio-
poli ical con ex ha in ol es a hie a chy and, o ha ma e , he o ganiza ion
o concep s de ines a conc e e wo ld iew ha con ibu es o shape he minds
o he people who consul such classi ica ions (Kwasnik, in Muñoz, 2004: 48).
Abo e and beyond he in luence ha classi ica ions may ha e on he way
people hink, and gi en he g owing in e es in gende s udies (O iz Gómez,
2004, 1999; Balla ín Domingo, Gallego Méndez & Ma ínez Benlloch, 1995),
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his pape s esses he need o s anda dize specialized eposi o ies in o de o
acili a e ull and di ec access o he s udies ha ha e been pe o med in
Spain (and beyond) in a wide ange o disciplines – mul idisciplina i y is one
o he mos de ining cha ac e is ics o his ield o knowledge (Hawkeswo h,
2011) – since he in oduc ion o women’s s udies in uni e si y cu icula a
he end o he 1970s.
4.2. Resea ch p oduc ion
The g ea e a en ion now paid by esea che s o gende s udies is e lec ed
no only in he g owing numbe o PhD heses de ended in his ield, bu also
in o he da a as signi ican o academic p oduc ion as he ollowing:
1. The g adual appea ance in Spain o jou nals and pla o ms specializing
in hese opics: Feminismo/s, published by he Uni e si y o Alican e since
2003; Cues iones de Géne o: de la igualdad y la di e encia, i s published in
2005 by he Uni e si y o Leon; DUODA. Es udios de la Di e encia Sexual,
one o he pionee ing jou nals published by he Uni e si y o Ba celona
since 1990; and Aspa kía: in es igación eminis a, c ea ed by he Jaume I
Uni e si y in Cas ellon in 1998, among many o he s.
2. The p oli e a ion o monog aphs in non-specialized jou nals ocusing
on gende . A a s a e le el and me ely by way o example, he ollowing a e
wo hy o men ion: he special numbe o he Re is a La ina de Comunicación
Social on gende iolence and communica ion published in 2016; he
monog aph o No. 11 o Redes.Com en i led “Géne o y/en Comunicación”
[Gende and/in Communica ion]; and ha o he jou nal Dígi os on Women’s
In e ne , “P ác icas, es e eo ipos emeninos y ep esen aciones de géne o en
la web” [P ac ices, eminine s e eo ypes and gende ep esen a ions on he
Web], published in 2018.
3. The consolida ion o monog aphic academic cong esses on gende : he
p esence o a la ge numbe o specialis s and esea ch in di e en speci ic
gende s udies o ums has jus i ied he ield o knowledge’s con inued exis-
ence o e he yea s. Examples include he biennial In e na ional Con e ence
on Gende and Communica ion, o ganized by he Uni e si y o Se ille, whose
ou h edi ion will be held in 2018. This uni e si y also hos s he In e na ional
Con e ence on Mic omachismo in Communica ion and Educa ion, whose
hi d edi ion is scheduled o 2018. By he same oken, o he highe educa ion
cen e s, such as he Oña i In e na ional Ins i u e o he Sociology o Law
(IISL) and he Poly echnic Uni e si y o Valencia (UPV) ha e also o ganized
encoun e s e ol ing a ound his heme o e he pas decade. In 2013, he
IISL hos ed he In e na ional Cong ess on Gende Violence: In e sec ion-
ali ies, and in 2010 he In e na ional Cong ess on Woman, A and Tech-
nology in he New Public Sphe e was held a he UPV. O he ele an
encoun e s on he 2018 agenda include he 10 h In e na ional Cong ess o he
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Uni e si y Associa ion o Women’s S udies (AUDEM): La uni e sidad de
las muje es. Ocho siglos de luces y somb as [The uni e si y o women. Eigh
cheque ed cen u ies].
Howe e , despi e he g owing popula i y o his ield o scien i ic knowledge
– which is only b ie ly add essed he e – he e is s ill a dea h o quali a i e,
quan i a i e and ypological esea ch in his ega d. As wi h communica ion
s udies (Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011), whose exponen ial
g ow h began in he 1980s, while he i s me a-analyses da e back o he yea
2000, his ype o analysis has been p ac ically conspicuous by i s absence in
gende and communica ion s udies in Spain. In his espec , Ca o González
and Gua inos (2017) s a e ha “ he e a e mul iple pape s ha ha e used
bibliome ics in he ield o communica ion, bu none o hem ha e in lu-
enced hei p ac ice on gende s udies in a compa a i e way” (65). The only
ones ha s and ou a e a numbe o sec ionalized s udies such as hose
pe o med by Miquel-Sega a, Na a o-Bel á and Ma ín-Llaguno (2016),
A anz Lozano (2015) and Na a o and Ma ín (2013), who in spi e o
p o iding in e es ing o e iews o hei speci ic a eas (public ela ions and
co po a e communica ion, gende iolence, and ilms and ad e ising, espec-
i ely), do no o e a gene al snapsho o gende and women’s s udies.
Howe e , his snapsho is u e ly essen ial o e alua e, as has been done in
he ield o communica ion in gene al, he pas and p esen o a line o
esea ch ha is g adually gaining g ound in Spain.
The obse a ion o scien i ic esea ch h ough he p ism o academic
p oduc ion in specialized jou nals is a p ocedu e wi h a me a-analy ical ack
eco d (Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013; Na a o & Ma ín, 2013; Cas illo
& Ca e ón, 2010), and he s udy p esen ed he e, based on hese ad ances in
he gene al ield o communica ion, shi s he ocus owa ds he speci ic
p oduc ion o communica ion and gende s udies.
As o he ack eco d men ioned abo e, in 2010, Cas illo and Ca e ón
published a s udy o he main communica ion jou nals, whose sample was
chosen acco ding o IN-RECS, he impac index mos used a he ime. Thei
wo k p o ided an exhaus i e desc ip ion o he ype o esea ch ha had been
pe o med hi he o in Spain and al eady included he sex disagg ega ion o
au ho da a. The esul s e ealed an unequal dis ibu ion: 53.7% o he pape s
we e au ho ed by men, e sus 46.3% by women (Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010).
Ne e heless, in he academic li e a u e speci ically dealing wi h gende
issues he e was a majo i y o au ho esses (Na a o & Ma ín, 2013). O , in
o he wo ds, women a e mo e inclined o inqui e in o his subjec , which
poses in e es ing ques ions o u u e esea ch – in his ega d, i should be
no ed ha Ca o González and Gua inos (2017) ha e s udied he scien i ic
p oduc i i y and collabo a ion o Spanish au ho s who ha e published pape s
177
wi h a gende pe spec i e in Scopus communica ion jou nals be ween 2008
and 2014.
Despi e he impo ance o Cas illo and Ca e ón’s wo k as one o he i s
and o emos bibliome ic s udies o communica ion esea ch in Spain, he
sample used by hese au ho s was es ic ed o pape s published in 2008.
Ne e heless, a yea a e wa ds Ma ínez Nicolás and Sape as Lapied a (2011)
published a wo k based on ou jou nals8 wi h a much longe ime ame, i.e.
om 1998 o 2007. One o hei mos no ewo hy conclusions, in he con ex
o communica ion s udies, was he supe io i y o hose s udies ocusing on
jou nalism om an empi ical app oach, as well as he lack o me hodological
igo ha was eg e ably de ec ed in a la ge p opo ion o he pape s analyzed
by hem:
[...] gene ally speaking, wha is in ol ed a e empi ical s udies wi h
se ious me hodological sho comings, a leas as a as he use o
s anda dized da a collec ion echniques is conce ned. Only in a
hi d o hese wo ks can such echniques be iden i ied, whe he
hey be quan i a i e o quali a i e, wi h a clea p edominance o
hose employed in media message s udies (con en and discou se
analysis) and scan ecou se o p ocedu es o accessing da a
ga he ed om li e sou ces (su eys, in-dep h in e iews, ocus
g oups, e c.). (Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011)
The s udy mos simila o he one conduc ed he e (Ma ínez-Nicolás, Sape as
& Ca asco-Campos, 2017) p o ides a 25-yea o e iew o academic p oduc-
ion ela ing o jou nalism published in he op i e Spanish communica ion
jou nals.9 I is based on he ollowing “coding c i e ia” (154) which ha e
se ed as inspi a ion and guidance o he esea ch desc ibed he e: knowledge
in e es s ( he jou nalis ic ield app oached and he objec o s udy) and modes
o esea ch ( he ype o esea ch, me hodological app oach and echniques
employed in empi ical s udies).
He e, he ollowing basic elemen s ha e been ecouped om he a o e-
men ioned s udies: he sex disagg ega ion o au ho da a (Na a o & Ma ín,
2013; Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010); he s udy o esea ch me hodologies and
echniques (A anz Lozano, 2015; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a,
2011); he ypes o objec s o s udy (Ma ínez-Nicolás, Sape as & Ca asco-
Campos, 2017; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011); and he col-
labo a ion be ween di e en esea ch cen e s (Fe nández-Quijada & Masip,
2013; Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010). Wha is no ewo hy is he special a en ion
paid o he ollowing pe spec i e in ela ion o he di e en me hodological
cu en s:
Ou in e es in me hodological pa adigms, known as he quan i a i e
o quali a i e pa h o knowledge, is o obse e hei epis emological
184
Figu e 4 Dis ibu ion o au ho ship by sex
Own elabo a ion.
As ega ds collec i e e o s, i espec i e o he g oup’s composi ion, women
we e no only he i s au ho s (in 76.3% o he cases), bu also o e whelm-
ing he las ones (67.7%), which seems o ie in wi h he ac ha he
majo i y o esea ch g oups we e en i ely made up o women. Thus, o he
o al numbe o co-au ho ed pape s published, in 33.7% o he cases he co-
au ho s we e all women, while in 7.9% hey we e all men. This con as s
wi h scien i ic collabo a ion in gene al, in which men a e mo e likely o
collabo a e wi h o he men, while women end o wo k wi h bo h o he women
and men (A aújo e al., 2017).
On a sepa a e issue, his s udy, ollowing a numbe o p eceden s, also
inqui ed in o he in e na ionaliza ion o gende and communica ion esea ch
in Spain. To assess his eali y, wo indica o s we e eso ed o: he p esence
o g oups comp ising au ho s o bo h sexes a ilia ed wi h non-Spanish
uni e si ies, ha is, in e na ional collabo a ion and he ansla ion o pape s
in o o he languages.
Wi h espec o he ype o collabo a ion ne wo ks es ablished a he uni-
e si ies o he au ho s, i can be obse ed ha only 8.4% o he pape s had
some so o o eign in ol emen . Mo eo e , as shown in Figu e 5, 74.2%
we e w i en by male and/o emale esea che s belonging o a sole uni e si y,
o wi , i he e had indeed been some kind o collabo a ion, his was
es ic ed o he habi ual scope o academic p oduc ion wi h wo k colleagues
o bo h sexes. As o 2014, he e has been a p og essi e in ol emen o non-
Spanish esea che s and schola s in he pape s published, as shown in Figu e
5. Despi e being ela i ely low in numbe , a end owa ds he consolida ion
o a mo e coope a i e and less indi idualis ic o m o wo k, also wi h a
g ea e le el o in e na ional collabo a ion, can appa en ly be obse ed.

185
Figu e 5 E olu ion o collabo a ion ne wo ks o e ime
Own elabo a ion.
186
The uni e si y ha s ands ou mos o i s in e na ional collabo a ion is he
Complu ense Uni e si y o Mad id, while a a na ional le el he combina ions
ha appea a e no no mally epea ed. No ewo hy examples o uni e si ies
wi h which esea che s o bo h sexes, pu suing hei wo k in in e na ional
collabo a ion ne wo ks, a e a ilia ed include he Complu ense, Se ille, San-
iago de Compos ela and he King Juan Ca los (Mad id). This in e na ional
collabo a ion has o da e in ol ed he ollowing esea ch cen e s, among
o he s: The F ee Uni e si y o Be lin (Ge many); he Uni e si y o Alaska
Ancho age (USA); he Au onomous Uni e si y o Ciudad Juá ez (Mexico);
and Hallym Uni e si y (Sou h Ko ea).
Howe e , e y ew pape s in se e al languages we e de ec ed: 85.4%
we e published only in Spanish, 10.7% in Spanish and English and a me e
3.9% exclusi ely in English.
6.3. On me hodologies and o ma s: Gende issues a e esea ched om
a quali a i e app oach and in a la ge numbe o communica ion o ma s
One o he objec i es he e is o iden i y he mos s udied communica ion
o ma s and he way in which esea che s ha e app oached hem. Fi s ly, he
esul s indica e ha he quali a i e app oach was he mos popula (50.6%),
e sus quan i a i e (29.8%) and mixed (18.7%) ones, which despi e hei
s ong p esence we e less equen ly employed.
This end owa ds quali a i e me hodologies is also bo ne ou by he ype
o ools/ echniques used o app oach he objec s o s udy, he mos equen
being con en analysis12 (43.3%), bibliog aphic e iew (16.9%) and easoned
deba e (15.2%).13 The las wo se e as an example o he impo ance ha
he in e p e a ion o seconda y da a and heo e ical p oduc ion ha e in
quali a i e gende and communica ion esea ch, as shown in Figu e 6.14
Figu e 6 F equency o ools employed
Own elabo a ion.
187
In ela ion o he mos s udied communica ion o ma s, and aking in o
conside a ion he deduc i e and a i icial di ision ha had o be pe o med o
de ine he eali ies and objec s o s udy, i is possible o pe cei e a ma ked
end owa ds s udying he p ess (26.4%), e sus adio (1.7%) and he In e ne
and social ne wo ks (4.5%). Wi h espec o hese las wo o ma s, i should
be no ed ha hei popula i y as objec s o s udy has none heless inc eased
o e he pas decade and wha has ecen ly been wi nessed is mos ce ainly
a g ea e in e es in hese media on he pa o he esea ch communi y.
When analyzed longi udinally, a g owing in e es in audio isual o ma s,
abo e all ele ision, bu also social ne wo ks, has been de ec ed. Fu he mo e,
as can be seen in Figu e 7, his has been accompanied by a p og essi e loss
o in e es in ad e ising o ma s. By he same oken, om a compa a i e
pe spec i e wha also s ands ou is he di e si y o o ma s s udied, 2008
ma king a be o e and a e in gende esea ch: a be o e cha ac e ized by a
p edominance o he p ess, ad e ising and media as a whole; and an a e
when he e has been a clea end owa ds mul iple o ma s.15
6.4. Resea ch ocusing on iden i ies
The main heme add essed in gende and communica ion s udies o da e,
acco ding o he esul s o he analysis pe o med he e, has been wha could
gene ally be called “iden i ies” (Figu e 8). Mo e speci ically, ou o he
di e en op ions included in he p e iously es ablished ca ego iza ion (i.e.
iden i ies; iolence; ep esen a ion/ ea men /co e age; emale p oduc ion;
wo k; educa ion; poli ics; equali y–inequali y; childhood–adolescence; spo s;
ma e ni y; he In e ne and social ne wo ks; gende s udies; disagg ega ed
analyses; consump ion; p os i u ion; and o he s),16 he mos equen opics
a e as ollows: iden i ies (27%), iolence (11.8%) and ep esen a ion/
ea men /co e age (10.7%).
188
Figu e 7 E olu ion o he communica ion o ma s s udied
Own elabo a ion.
189
Figu e 8 Dis ibu ion o academic p oduc ion by opic
Own elabo a ion.
F om an his o ical pe spec i e, wha again s ands ou is he ac ha he
p ogessi e inco po a ion o hese s udies in he ield o communica ion has
been cha ac e ized by a b oade ange o hemes. In con as wi h he classic
s udies o he di e en ial ep esen a ion o women and men and iolence
ea men and discou ses, opics such as ma e ni y (1988–2010: one pape ;
2011–2017: h ee), wo k (1988–2010: ze o pape s; 2011–2017: 11) and spo s
(1988–2010: ze o pape s; 2011–2017: ou ) ha e s a ed o ca e ou a niche
o hemsel es in he communica ion and gende esea ch agenda (Figu e 8
and 9).
Besides he main heme, he mos ecu en seconda y hemes we e also
assessed. The la e p o ide a clea pic u e o he speci ic issues ha ha e
caugh he a en ion o communica ion and gende esea ch o e he pas ew
decades. Fo example, s e eo ypes a e a seconda y heme in 34 pape s, iden-
i ies in 28, wo k – which, as al eady no ed, is as becoming a main heme –
in 25, ensions and analysis o equali y-inequali y in 13 and he concep o
eminism in 11.
On he o he hand, and bea ing in mind he ele ance o keywo ds, essen-
ial o indexing and dissemina ing scien i ic esea ch, he NVi o p og amme18
– specializing in quali a i e o mixed uns uc u ed da a p ocessing – was
used o conduc a keywo d equency analysis ocusing on he o al numbe
o gende - and communica ion- ela ed pape s comp ising he sample. As can
been obse ed in Figu e 10, he keywo ds géne o [gende ], muje [woman],
comunicación [communica ion] and es e eo ipos [s e eo ypes] a e he mos
equen .

190
Figu e 9 E olu ion o he main opic o pape s o e ime17
Own elabo a ion.
191
Figu e 10 G aphic ep esen a ion o
he mos equen ly employed keywo ds
Own elabo a ion.
The keywo ds employed on mo e han 20 occasions a e as ollows: géne o
[gende ] (84), muje [woman] (64), comunicación [communica ion] (31),
es e eo ipos [s e eo ypes] (27), medios [media] (23), ele isión [ ele ision]
(22), social [social] (21), iolencia [ iolence] (21) and p ensa [p ess] (20).
In addi ion o he mos e iden e ms in communica ion and gende s udies
(i.e. géne o, muje and comunicación), he es o he keywo ds epea ed mos
o en b oadly speaking e lec he p edominan end o he pape s analyzed,
i.e. app oaches o gende ep esen a ion, he s e eo ypes linge ing in socie y
oday and s uc u al p oblems (like iolence agains women) using media
con en analysis.
7. Discussion
An analysis o he esul s unde sco es ha al hough communica ion and
gende esea ch is s ill a ma ginal ield wi h p opo ionally e y li le
in luence on he discipline, i is ne e heless g adually gaining g ound. Wha
is in ol ed is a ield o esea ch ha has s eadily di e si ied as ega ds he
communica ion o ma s and hemes wi h which i deals, o i is based on i s
his o ical links o jou nalism s udies (Cas illo & Ca e ón, 2010; Ma ínez
Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011) and has ocused o e whelmingly on he
192
analysis o iden i ies, iolence and gende ep esen a ions in he media,
be o e g adually including new o ma s and opics. In his espec , ma e ni y,
wo k and spo s a e now mo e equen objec s o s udy. As o o ma s,
besides becoming clea ly mo e di e se, some ha in p e ious s ages a oused
he g ea es in e es , such as hose ela ing o ad e ising, ha e now been
abandoned o a ce ain ex en . This could be explained by he g owing numbe
o specialized jou nals and pla o ms a ailable. In o he wo ds, i migh no
be due o he academic communi y’s disa ec ion wi h ce ain o ma s, bu o
he ac ha he e a e now mo e oppo uni ies o publish hese wo ks in
eme ging specialized jou nals (in he ield o ad e ising, o ins ance),
which s ill ha e no been included in he anking o jou nals wi h an impac
ac o .
Mo ing on o o he issues, as has been seen in he esul s sec ion, 2008
ma ked a u ning poin as ega ds bo h he p oli e a ion o gende - ela ed
pape s in communica ion jou nals and hei di e si ica ion ( opics, o ma s
s udied, e c.). In his connec ion, as highligh ed on ano he occasion (Zu bano-
Be engue , 2015), emphasis should be placed on he a - eaching legisla i e
changes and social p og ess in Spain since he u n o he cen u y, no only
conce ning gende and equali y (Spanish O ganic Law 1/2004, 28 Decembe ,
on Comp ehensi e P o ec ion Measu es agains Gende Violence; Spanish
O ganic Law 3/2007, 22 Ma ch, o he e ec i e equali y o women and men,
e c.), bu also p ecisely in ela ion o he ole o he media in his espec . Fo
example, he a o emen ioned laws, as well as egional legisla ion seeking he
same goals (Comp ehensi e Law 7/2012, 23 No embe , o he Valencian
Go e nmen , on Violence agains Women in he Valencian Communi y;
Law 13/2007, 26 No embe , on Comp ehensi e P o ec ion Measu es agains
Gende -based Violence in Andalusia; Law 17/2015, 21 July, o he e ec i e
equali y o women and men in Ca alonia, e c.), highligh he social espon-
sibili y ha he media has in he igh agains gende -based iolence and, mo e
gene ally, in he achie emen o equali y be ween he sexes. Wha is mo e,
on he basis o he abo e-men ioned laws, many egula o y bodies and media
companies hemsel es ha e de eloped e hical codes in o de o include he
gende pe spec i e in in o ma ion p ac ices and o in o m abou gende -based
iolence adequa ely. In his connec ion, o e he pas 15 yea s communica ion
schola s ha e analyzed he impac ha legisla i e changes and e hical codes
ha e had on in o ma ion abou iolence agains women and, mo e gene ally,
on socie y’s pe cep ion o his social p oblem. In mos cases he esul s poin
o a posi i e ela ionship be ween he p omo ion o legisla i e and eminis
ini ia i es, like hose e e ed o abo e, and he p oli e a ion o e hical codes
and imp o emen s in he news ea men o gende -based iolence (Zu bano-
Be engue & Ga cía-Go dillo, 2017; H un & Weldon, 2013; Ma ínez, 2012).
On he o he hand, ano he impo an change occu ing in Spanish aca-
demia in 2008 should also be aken in o accoun , i.e. ACADEMIA, an acc ed-
193
i a ion p og am o uni e si y eaching and esea ch ocusing on scien i ic
p oduc i i y, launched by ANECA (Na ional Agency o Quali y Assessmen
and Acc edi a ion o Spain). ACADEMIA, ollowing in e na ional ends in
acc edi a ion sys ems, gi es op p io i y o esea ch. Wi hin he speci ic ield
o communica ion, his decision is supposed o ha e led o bo h an inc ease
in pape s published in Spanish communica ion jou nals and he exponen ial
g ow h o he p esence o Spanish au ho s in in e na ional communica ion
jou nals as om 2008 (Ma ínez-Nicolás, Sape as & Ca asco-Campos, 2017;
Ma ínez-Nicolás & Sape as, 2016; Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013).
Re u ning o he esul s o his pape , wi h e e ence o he da a on s udy
ypologies (na ional o in e na ional, depending on he academic a ilia ion
o he au ho s), hese coincide wi h hose o he ield o communica ion in
gene al: he e is an inc easingly g ea e endency owa ds eamwo k and he
pa icipa ion o mul ina ional g oups (Fe nández-Quijada & Masip, 2013). In
his espec , i should be added ha some jou nals ha e s a ed o eques ha
pape s be ansla ed in o English. The e o e, an inc ease in he numbe o
s udies published in his language is o be expec ed in he nea u u e. This
will call o esea ch in o he in luence (o no ) ha his g ea e in e na ional
access o Spanish academic p oduc ion – hanks o a wide use o English in
scien i ic communica ion – may ha e on he in e na ional make-up o esea ch
g oups a Spanish uni e si ies.
In he same ein, he speci ic me hodology- ela ed da a on communica ion
and gende esea ch p esen ed he e coincide wi h exis ing in o ma ion on he
discipline o communica ion in gene al, o pape s o en do no include a
c edible me hodological s a egy and e en equen ly lack a clea desc ip ion
o he ools and me hods employed. By he same oken, in ecen esea ch
(Madison & Söde lund, 2018; Söde lund & Madison, 2017) he a o emen-
ioned weaknesses ha e also been de ec ed in scien i ic p oduc ion in he
a ea o gende s udies. Beyond ha , when he me hodological concep ion
and design a e clea ly se ou , con en analysis has been o da e he mos
equen ly used echnique in he ield o communica ion (Cas illo & Ca e ón,
2010; Ma ínez Nicolás & Sape as Lapied a, 2011).
8. Conclusions
As ega ds he objec i es es ablished a he beginning o his wo k, he ol-
lowing can be claimed:
1. Wi h espec o he numbe o pape s dealing wi h gende , women’s and
eminis s udies appea ing in Spanish communica ion jou nals in compa ison
wi h hose dedica ed o o he opics, i can be held ha , p opo ionally
speaking, he numbe o gende - ela ed pape s is s ill negligible, al hough a
g adual and pa chy inc ease has been obse ed, depending on he jou nal.
200
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