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

Sex and Sexuality: A Content Analysis of Soap Operas
List of Tables
Table 2-1 Frequency of types of sexual behaviours shown on major US television networks across three
TV seasons (Source: Kunkel et al., 1999, 2003 and 2005) ______________________________________ 64
Table 2-2 Frequency of types of ‘talk about sex’ shown on major US television networks across three TV
seasons (Source: Kunkel et al., 1999, 2003 and 2005) ________________________________________ 64
Table 3-1 Coronation Street: TV viewing ratings from 27th Nov to 24th Dec 2006 __________________ 97
Table 3-2 EastEnders BBC1: TV viewing ratings from 27th Nov to 24th Dec 2006. _________________ 100
Table 3-3 Emmerdale: TV viewing ratings from 27th Nov to 24th Dec 2006 ______________________ 101
Table 3-4 Home and Away Channel Five: TV viewing ratings from 27th Nov to 24th Dec 2006 _______ 103
Table 3-5 Hollyoaks Channel 4: TV viewing ratings from 27th Nov to 24th Dec 2006 _______________ 104
Table 3-6 Inter-coders’ means of agreements (in percentages) for the study’s content measures. ____ 128
Table 4-1 Average number of scenes with sexual content per episode for each one of the seven soap
operas. ____________________________________________________________________________ 132
Table 4-2 Distribution of the two main types of sexual portrayals (Talk & Behaviour) across each of the
seven soap operas ___________________________________________________________________ 133
Table 4-3 Average length of scenes with sexual content for each of the seven soap operas. ________ 136
Table 4-4 Average length of scenes with sexual ‘talk’ and ‘behaviour’ for each of the seven soap operas.
__________________________________________________________________________________ 136
Table 4-5 Frequencies and percentages of types of sexual talk found in each of the seven soap operas.
__________________________________________________________________________________ 143
Table 4-6 Frequencies and percentages of types of sexual behaviours found in each of the seven soap
operas. ____________________________________________________________________________ 150
Table 4-7 Degree of focus on sexual activity across sexual portrayals in each of the seven soap operas.
__________________________________________________________________________________ 158
Table 4-8 Orientation of sexual activity across each of the seven soap operas ____________________ 161
Table 4-9 Orientation of sexual activity across sexual talk and sexual behaviour __________________ 167
Table 4-10 Overall frequency, and themes of sexual intercourse by soap opera. __________________ 170
Table 4-11References to homosexuality by soap opera. _____________________________________ 175
Table 5-1 Location of sexual activity by nature of sexual activity (talk and behaviour). _____________ 197
Table 5-2 Location of sexual activity by soap opera. ________________________________________ 198
Table 5-3 The distribution of positive outcomes across scenes with sexual talk and behaviour. ______ 205
Table 5-4 The distribution of negative outcomes across scenes with sexual talk and behaviour ______ 208
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