Media Portrayal Construction of Female Scientists in the New Media Era: A Case Study of WeChat Official Accounts
Research Article
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Media Portrayal Construction of Female Scientists in the New Media Era: A Case Study of WeChat Official Accounts

Yiqing Zhao 1*
1 Sanda University
*Corresponding author: wuheoooo@yeah.net
Published on 16 September 2025
Journal Cover
CHR Vol.77
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-347-5
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-348-2
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Abstract

Amidst the growing awareness of gender equality, the media portrayal of female scientists not only concerns the dissemination of their individual professional value but also reflects the interplay between societal gender perceptions and the ecology of science communication. This study analyzes the top 30 most popular articles on WeChat Official Accounts, employing content analysis and discourse analysis to investigate the logic behind the media construction of female scientists’ images. It specifically examines dimensions such as reporting tendencies, themes, subjects, sources, textual features, and rhetorical strategies. The aim is to reveal the characteristics, influencing factors, existing problems, and optimization pathways in the current construction of female scientists’ media images. Findings indicate that while current coverage is predominantly positive and affirming, it retains implicit gender frameworks and exhibits shortcomings in gender narratives, dimensional richness, and communication synergy. Factors influencing image construction include socio-cultural attitudes, media communication logic, the ecology of the scientific community, and policy and societal environments. The study concludes that shaping a more inclusive and authentic media portrayal of female scientists necessitates balancing narrative focus, deepening image dimensions, optimizing communication synergy, and constructing an ecological system. This research contributes to promoting gender equality in science communication, provides theoretical and practical references for enriching the diverse images of female scientists, and holds significant implications for encouraging women to pursue scientific careers.

Keywords:

Female Scientists, Media Portrayal, Science Communication, Gender Equality, Textual Analysis

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Zhao,Y. (2025). Media Portrayal Construction of Female Scientists in the New Media Era: A Case Study of WeChat Official Accounts. Communications in Humanities Research,77,33-39.

References

[1]. Jiawei Song. (2022) The Construction and Evolution of Chinese Female Media Images from the Perspective of Social Gender [D]. Chongqing University.

[2]. Lulu Wang. (2022) A Study on the Media Image of Female Entrepreneurs from the Perspective of Social Gender Theory [D]. Shandong University.

[3]. Riffe D., Lacy S., Watson B.R., et al. (2019) Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research [M]. Routledge.

[4]. Jiayi Wang. (2024) A Brief Analysis of the Construction of Female Images in Online News Reports [J]. Today's Mass Media, 32(7): 116-119.

[5]. Xiang Li, Yi Liu. (2024) Analysis of the Construction of Female Images in Mainstream Media in the New Media Era - A Case Study of Articles Published on the "People's Daily" WeChat Official Account in 2022 [J]. Media Forum, 7(4): 4-7+25.

[6]. Dan Lu. (2022) The Construction of Online Media Reports on Female Drinking Issues [D]. Beijing Foreign Studies University.

[7]. Rongrong Yue. (2023) A Study on the Construction of Female Images in Online Hot Events from the Perspective of Field Theory [D]. Communication University of Zhejiang.

[8]. Bourdieu Pierre. (1984) Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste, Cambridge: Massacbusetts: Harvard University Press, pp.31-33.

[9]. Heting Huang. (2023) The Shaping of Female Images in Urban Female Group Dramas from the Perspective of Semiotics [J]. Cultural Monthly, (2): 52-55.

[10]. Rodney Benson. (1999) Field Theory in Comparative Context: A New Paradigm for Media Studies, Theory and Society, vol.28, no.3, pp.463-498.

References

[1]. Jiawei Song. (2022) The Construction and Evolution of Chinese Female Media Images from the Perspective of Social Gender [D]. Chongqing University.

[2]. Lulu Wang. (2022) A Study on the Media Image of Female Entrepreneurs from the Perspective of Social Gender Theory [D]. Shandong University.

[3]. Riffe D., Lacy S., Watson B.R., et al. (2019) Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research [M]. Routledge.

[4]. Jiayi Wang. (2024) A Brief Analysis of the Construction of Female Images in Online News Reports [J]. Today's Mass Media, 32(7): 116-119.

[5]. Xiang Li, Yi Liu. (2024) Analysis of the Construction of Female Images in Mainstream Media in the New Media Era - A Case Study of Articles Published on the "People's Daily" WeChat Official Account in 2022 [J]. Media Forum, 7(4): 4-7+25.

[6]. Dan Lu. (2022) The Construction of Online Media Reports on Female Drinking Issues [D]. Beijing Foreign Studies University.

[7]. Rongrong Yue. (2023) A Study on the Construction of Female Images in Online Hot Events from the Perspective of Field Theory [D]. Communication University of Zhejiang.

[8]. Bourdieu Pierre. (1984) Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste, Cambridge: Massacbusetts: Harvard University Press, pp.31-33.

[9]. Heting Huang. (2023) The Shaping of Female Images in Urban Female Group Dramas from the Perspective of Semiotics [J]. Cultural Monthly, (2): 52-55.

[10]. Rodney Benson. (1999) Field Theory in Comparative Context: A New Paradigm for Media Studies, Theory and Society, vol.28, no.3, pp.463-498.

Cite this article

Zhao,Y. (2025). Media Portrayal Construction of Female Scientists in the New Media Era: A Case Study of WeChat Official Accounts. Communications in Humanities Research,77,33-39.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICADSS 2025 Symposium: Consciousness and Cognition in Language Acquisition and Literary Interpretation

ISBN: 978-1-80590-347-5(Print) / 978-1-80590-348-2(Online)
Editor: Yanhua Qin
Conference website: https://2025.icadss.org/Beijing.html
Conference date: 20 October 2025
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.77
ISSN: 2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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