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

Introduction
Sex and Sexuality: A Content Analysis of Soap Operas
The influence of television programmes in general, and soap operas in
particular, on social beliefs, attitudes and behaviours, it has been widely argued,
occurs through a gradual cumulative process that is potentially likely to develop
with repetitive exposure over time to the portrayals of common patterns of
behaviours (Brown and Newcomer, 1991; Gunter, 2002; Huston et al, 1998; Kunkel
et al, 1999, 2001, 2003). Thus, identifying and analysing sexual content portrayed in
and conveyed by soap operas contributes to the understanding of the nature, types
and patterns of sexual information available to substantial numbers of audiences,
and eventually to the understanding of the potential influence/effects of exposure to
sexual content.
The overall objective of this research is to comprehensively identify and analyse
the portrayal of sex and sexuality in the British and Australian soap operas shown on
the UK‘s terrestrial televisions channels; and, by using the methodology of content
analysis, this current research primarily aims to account for and capture any existing
broader patterns of:
the amount of sexual content across all soap operas—frequencies of sexual
portrayals across the genre as well as in each individual soap opera, and
averages of sexual scenes per episode and/or per hour.
the nature of sexual portrayals (sexual talk and sexual behaviour)
types (themes and contexts) of sexual talks and sexual behaviours.
the centrality of sex and sexuality to the scenes, storylines and soap operas
overall.
the level of sexual explicitness (visual explicitness)
the orientation of sexual activity and references to homosexual relationships
and homosexuality.
This study aims, first, to identify any differences, for example, in the amount,
nature, types or level of explicitness and so forth, of sexual portrayals, which may
exist, on the one hand between individual soap operas, and on the other, between
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