Media Portrayal Construction of Female Scientists in the New Media Era: A Case Study of WeChat Official Accounts

Abstract

Amidst the growing awareness of gender equality, the media portrayal of female scientists not only concerns the dissemination of their individual professional value but also reflects the interplay between societal gender perceptions and the ecology of science communication. This study analyzes the top 30 most popular articles on WeChat Official Accounts, employing content analysis and discourse analysis to investigate the logic behind the media construction of female scientists’ images. It specifically examines dimensions such as reporting tendencies, themes, subjects, sources, textual features, and rhetorical strategies. The aim is to reveal the characteristics, influencing factors, existing problems, and optimization pathways in the current construction of female scientists’ media images. Findings indicate that while current coverage is predominantly positive and affirming, it retains implicit gender frameworks and exhibits shortcomings in gender narratives, dimensional richness, and communication synergy. Factors influencing image construction include socio-cultural attitudes, media communication logic, the ecology of the scientific community, and policy and societal environments. The study concludes that shaping a more inclusive and authentic media portrayal of female scientists necessitates balancing narrative focus, deepening image dimensions, optimizing communication synergy, and constructing an ecological system. This research contributes to promoting gender equality in science communication, provides theoretical and practical references for enriching the diverse images of female scientists, and holds significant implications for encouraging women to pursue scientific careers.