add any necessary punctuation to this text without making any other changes" Uncovering Gender Bias in Iranian Newspapers: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Texts and Images
Fahimeh Hosseinpoor, Jaleh Hassaskhah, Amir Mahdavi Zafarghandi
Department of English Language and Literature, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
*Corresponding author: Fahimeh Hosseinpoor – <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>


ABSTRACT
Newspapers can shape readers' views and identities, especially on gender issues. This study used critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine how two Iranian English newspapers, the Keyhan International and the Tehran Times, portrayed men and women in 50 news content from 10 topics in one month. The study looked at three aspects of gender representation: appearance, image, and social roles. Both newspapers showed gender bias in favor of men, such as highlighting men's achievements, portraying women in stereotypical or marginal roles, and reflecting the cultural and Islamic ideologies of Iranian society. The study argued that media gender bias, especially in newspapers used for language learning, should be critically examined and challenged to promote a more balanced and inclusive society.
Keywords: Gender bias; Iranian news media; Critical discourse analysis; Texts and images; Social identity
1. Introduction
Gender issues are essential and significant in language learning since they involve concerns of culture, power, and identity, all of which influence learners’ enthusiasm, participation, and achievements (Norton, 2013). One of the influential factors that shape and reflect gender identities and relations is the news media, which are widely used in English language teaching classrooms as authentic and informative materials (Clark & Marchi, 2017). Newspapers serve as platforms for persuasion and representation, as well as providers of education and information (Richardson, 2017). Newspapers as a kind of media have the power to impact how readers see and interact with themselves, as well as other members of society, particularly concerning gender issues (Wood, 1994). However, newspapers can reflect and encourage gender stereotypes and disparities, which can impede students' development of critical thinking, analytical abilities, intercultural proficiency, and social justice awareness (Lazar, 2007). Therefore, ELT (English Language Teaching) researchers must critically study the images and language of the news for their portrayal of women and men (Tarrayo et al., 2021), as well as their possible impacts on learners’ social awareness and development of identity (Fairclough, 1995a).
Therefore, this study employed “critical discourse analysis (CDA)” Fairclough, 2013, p. 7) as a methodological and hypothetical framework to examine how language serves to construct, maintain, and encourage social relationships of power, dominance, and disparity (Fairclough, 1995a; Van Dijk, 2001; Wodak & Meyer, 2015). More specifically, this study employed Fairclough’s (1995a) framework of CDA to identify, interpret, and explain any gender bias within the texts and images of two widely distributed Iranian English newspapers, namely the Tehran Times and Keyhan International. These newspapers were chosen because they are among the most influential, significant sources of news and views for both domestic and international audiences who are interested in learning about Iran and its culture (Amerian & Esmaili, 2015). The study employed Amerian and Esmaili’s (2015) categorizations of appearance, pictorial(image) representation, and social roles to improve the literature on gender portrayal in Iranian news media and to provide implications for ELT practitioners who use newspapers as teaching materials (Clandfield & Foord, 2011). Iran was chosen as the subject of this investigation due to its low ranking in comparative studies of gender equality conducted by international organizations, such as the World Economic Forum’s (2018) report. As the ‘World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index’(2018) states, Iran is placed 142nd out of 149 nations, revealing a significant gender difference in “economic participation and opportunity”, “educational attainment”, “health and survival”, and “political empowerment”(p. 5). This unfavorable rating of Iran raises the fascinating question of if so, how much extent, this might be represented in the portrayal of gender and its ties in newspapers (Jemaneh, 2014), followed by Iranian newspaper readers of various ages (Conaghan, 2017) and goals, such as staying informed about daily events as well as learning and improving the English language"