En kritisk diskursanalys av svenska mediers konstruktioner av kvinnliga förövare
(2025) SOPB63 20242School of Social Work
- Abstract
- The study examined how female perpetrators are constructed in Swedish media, focusing on articles published in national newspapers. The study analysed 18 articles from four major Swedish newspapers, Svenska Dagbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, and Expressen, published within the last ten years. Using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, informed by feminist criminology, the study identified and analysed two key discourses: a tendency to create constructions of causes of women’s criminality and constructions of female perpetrators. The study concludes that Swedish media representations of female perpetrators often reinforce traditional gender discourses, focusing on individual explanations rather than societal and structural... (More)
- The study examined how female perpetrators are constructed in Swedish media, focusing on articles published in national newspapers. The study analysed 18 articles from four major Swedish newspapers, Svenska Dagbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, and Expressen, published within the last ten years. Using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, informed by feminist criminology, the study identified and analysed two key discourses: a tendency to create constructions of causes of women’s criminality and constructions of female perpetrators. The study concludes that Swedish media representations of female perpetrators often reinforce traditional gender discourses, focusing on individual explanations rather than societal and structural factors. This can hinder a nuanced understanding of women’s involvement in crime. The study also found a tendency to explain female criminality within a normative framework, often relying on explanations rooted in mental illness, victimhood, or problematic relationships. The analysis showed how the media often quotes experts who reinforce these explanations, reflecting a broader societal tendency to downplay or explain away women’s violence, as noted by feminist criminologists. The study highlights the importance of being critical of media portrayals of female perpetrators and being aware of how linguistic choices can influence our understanding of gender and crime. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9180650
- author
- Kardirsson, Maja LU and Alhamd, Rawan LU
- supervisor
-
- Em Andersson LU
- organization
- course
- SOPB63 20242
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- female perpetrators, gender, media, critical discourse analysis, feminist criminology
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9180650
- date added to LUP
- 2025-01-17 16:53:37
- date last changed
- 2025-01-17 16:53:37
@misc{9180650,
abstract = {{The study examined how female perpetrators are constructed in Swedish media, focusing on articles published in national newspapers. The study analysed 18 articles from four major Swedish newspapers, Svenska Dagbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, and Expressen, published within the last ten years. Using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, informed by feminist criminology, the study identified and analysed two key discourses: a tendency to create constructions of causes of women’s criminality and constructions of female perpetrators. The study concludes that Swedish media representations of female perpetrators often reinforce traditional gender discourses, focusing on individual explanations rather than societal and structural factors. This can hinder a nuanced understanding of women’s involvement in crime. The study also found a tendency to explain female criminality within a normative framework, often relying on explanations rooted in mental illness, victimhood, or problematic relationships. The analysis showed how the media often quotes experts who reinforce these explanations, reflecting a broader societal tendency to downplay or explain away women’s violence, as noted by feminist criminologists. The study highlights the importance of being critical of media portrayals of female perpetrators and being aware of how linguistic choices can influence our understanding of gender and crime.}},
author = {{Kardirsson, Maja and Alhamd, Rawan}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{En kritisk diskursanalys av svenska mediers konstruktioner av kvinnliga förövare}},
year = {{2025}},
}