Malaysian Female Riders: Through the Lens of Online Publications and Magazines

Authors: Farrah Diebaa Rashid Ali, Nur Amirah Zakaria (International Islamic University, Malaysia)
Speakers: Nur Amirah Zakaria
Strand: Language Ideologies
Session Type: General Session

Abstract

In reviewing the literature on motorcycle culture, it was found that stereotypes are prevalent in many types of discourse, where men and women are often depicted differently. The purpose of this study is to examine gender stereotypes pertaining to traits and social roles in motorcycling cultures, with a particular focus on the media portrayal of females in this industry. Media outlets are bound to present females with words that convey a certain sense of identity to them since language plays a key role in the formation of their identities and in how others perceive them. An approach of qualitative research is used to identify the social roles and traits of female motorcyclists that can be found in 20 online articles and magazines as outlined in this study. Membership Categorization Analysis (MCA) is used as the framework which consists of category-bound predicates and category-bound activities associated with social actions in the contexts of their usage that help to identify social identities. Based on the findings, a total of five social roles and six traits including one negative trait are identified to represent females in this motorcycling culture. Due to the fact that most studies emphasize gender stereotypes, there is still a great deal that needs to be done to educate the community regarding it. With this study, the literature gap will be narrowed between past and current research using MCA as its framework, which may contribute to greater diversity in motorcycling cultures.

Keywords: Motorcycling cultures, Gender stereotypes, Female, Social roles, Membership Categorization Analysis (MCA)