Chapter 4 Sexual Content in Soap Operas - Leicester Research ...

Sex and Sexuality: A Content Analysis of Soap Operas
not shown literally but inferred through the sequence of narratives or scenes—
judged exactly the same as in the intercourse categories.
Portrayals and incidents of sexual violence, rape and/or attempted rape, whether
implied or depicted, were coded separately (categories 9 and 10) when the storylines
and narratives indicated that illegal and violent sexual behaviours or sexual
intercourse without consent were taking place or attempted. A final category of
‗other‘ was included to capture other highly infrequent behaviours that did not fit the
other nine mentioned categories.
3.3.3 Themes and Context: Special Content Measures
All scenes containing ‗sexual behaviour‘ or ‗sexual talk‘ have been subjected to
further analysis to evaluate thematic and contextual details embedded within the
scenes. However, some special content coding measures were applied to portrayals
featuring ‗sexual behaviours‘ only to capture additional contextual details, as will be
separately explained below. The rationale for constructing and borrowing some of
these measures lies in the ways audiences react to such contextual variables. UK
Opinion survey studies have shown certain members of an audience, for instance,
disapprove of the prevalence of the portrayal of explicit intimate sexual behaviours,
homosexual sex, extra-marital affair and cheating (Millwood-Hargrave, 1992 and
1999; Hill and Thomson, 2000), while others are more accepting of portrayal of
sexual behviours if they were integral to storylines and overall contexts (Hill and
Thomson, 2000).
‗Sexual intercourse‘ portrayals, whether ‗behaviour‘ or ‗talk‘, were also
measured separately by using two distinct categories that look further into the
themes of intercourse. The ‗First-time sexual intercourse‘ category refers to sexual
intercourse activities where, at least for one of the characters, this was the first time
or experience of engaging in sexual intercourse. Topics on and depictions of ‗losing
virginity‘ and first-time sexual experiences are prime examples. The second
category, ‗sexual intercourse that involves cheating/infidelity‘ refers to sexual
intercourse activities that represent a violation of a relationship between two people
who are strongly committed to each other, and who consider their relationship to be
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