Framing Women In Israel-Palestine Conflict

A quantitative content analysis of 592 news images of gender (male, female) and objects was conducted through the lenses of framing theory and visual framing theory to understand gender representation in conflict reporting. The photo sample analyzed a period of two years, starting from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. The findings indicate that The New York Times portrays women as victims more often than men, which supports the previous traditional gender portrayals of women showing them as victims. However, the findings challenge the earlier research that media do not always give women more significant visual representation than they do for men in conflict narratives. Nevertheless, when women appear as the primary focal point, they are more frequently framed in passive roles, such as grieving or receiving aid, rather than engaging in active resistance or leadership. The study also found that The New York Times often published photos of women in medium-range shots.