Gender, communication and inequality studies

You can find the description of the Research Line here.
 
 

Research Proposal 2. Gender, communication and inequality studies

 Researchers

Research Group

Communication and gender studies

Theoretical and empirical research on media, media literacy, social networks with a focus from a gender perspective. Thesis proposals derived from the master's degree in Journalism and Digital Communication: Data and New Narratives are accepted.

 

 

 

GAME
 
Gendered factors shaping young people's motivations to choose ict and stem studies and occupations
 
The study of the development of gendered aspirations in STEM across secondary school years and the transition to higher education has been the scope of vast international research under the framework of the expectancy-value (EV) theory of achievement motivation. Similarly, many efforts have been conducted in the US and other international contexts to encourage the participation of girls in STEM, inspired by this EV theory and other theoretical frameworks, such as the stereotype threat theory, or the role and goal congruity theory.

 

 

 
 

 

 

GenTIC
 
The development of gender roles and stereotypes about ict and stem occupations during childhood and adolescence
 
Young females do not choose STEM studies because they do not identify with the prototypical masculine stereotype frequently associated with STEM professionals. Knowing more about the content of gender stereotypes about STEM studies and occupations can provide inspiration for interventions oriented to challenge these stereotypes and their prescriptive role. The main goal of this research line is to therefore analyze the main developmental socialization factors that contribute to the formation of gender stereotypes about STEM professions during childhood and adolescence.
 
 

 

 

GenTIC

The gender digital divide

The study of the gender digital divide faces new challenges due to the persistence of inequalities in terms of Internet access, but also with regards to digital skills, uses, and the design of technologies. ICTs can empower women’s opportunities to reverse inequalities and show the importance of including women’s talent in the design of ICT services and products that provide solutions to societal challenges like the ones associated to the current health crisis. From a mutual shaping of technology and society theoretical approach, it is necessary to examine women and men as consumers of digital devices and contents, but also as producers of these technologies.
 
 
 
 


 

 

GenTIC

Gender diversity and science of team science

The “Science of Team Science” brings together a variety of disciplines addressing the conditions of collaborative knowledge production. The question how gender diversity affects scientific collaboration is key in this respect. Current developments strive to integrate a more dynamic view on team processes. Recent methodological (time-based social network analysis) as well as technical developments (sensor/video based monitoring and automatic labelling) allow exciting new questions to be posed regarding the impact of gender diversity on team processes.

 


 

 

 

GenTIC

Gender bias and behavioral tracking

Behavioral tracking technology (video but also sensor based) is increasingly prevalent across a variety of societal contexts, including security sector, medical and fitness devices but also Human Resource management. This research line aims at a critical examination of the use and misuses of behavioral tracking technology and its gendered implications. Behavioral tracking, when combined with artificial intelligence decision making can perpetuate gender-bias but also open up new and exciting research questions regarding gender patterns of social behavior.

 

 

 

GenTIC

Institutional change for inclusive gender equality in research and innovation

Our goal is to understand those factors that promote the effective design and implementation of inclusive gender equality interventions in research performing and research funding organizations as well as higher education institutions and the private sector. Interventions may take the form of a Gender Equality Plan, or Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Interventions- from an intersectional approach, amongst others. Analysis centers on the processes and outcomes of each phase of the intervention, from the design phase, to implementation, and outcomes whilst relevant context factors are taken into consideration. The main challenge is to understand how to make research more inclusive and diverse as well as produce better quality knowledge and innovations that respond to diverse needs.  We also examine how to demonstrate real change through monitoring and evaluation of the change process.

 


 

 

GenTIC
 
Anti-knowledge and anti-information society. Analising the construction of the new public sphere
 

This research line focuses on studying strategies for domination and control of the public sphere, grounded in disinformation, the implementation of falsehoods, and the cancellation of otherness as tools of purported political revolution. The approach is proposed as a starting point for critically and contextually analysing the expansion of anti-woke narratives, hate speech, and the advocacy of anti-political correctness. This encompasses studies on media and social network content, on the neutrality or instrumentalization of cultural products, on the ownership of information, as well as on the challenges and threats faced by communication and information rights as human rights.

 

 


 

 

TURBA
 
Social Sustainability, Work-Life Balance, Gender and New Forms of Work Organization
 

If modern work is to be sustainable, we need to rethink the balance between work and personal life in a context of technological and cultural transformation. Teleworking and new ways to organize work give us flexibility in time and space, but they can also intensify workloads and blur the lines between professional and private. From a gender perspective, these developments reveal persistent inequalities, as the burden of unpaid caregiving responsibilities more often falls on women. Fostering an equitable work-life balance involves designing inclusive work policies, recognizing the value of personal time, and redistributing caregiving tasks.

The aim of this line of research is to explore how work can be made more socially sustainable through the organization of work, work-life balance, gender equity and changing organizational cultures towards more inclusive and healthier work models.
 
 
 

 
 

 

 
  

Digitalization, AI, and Labour Inequalities

Accelerated digitalization and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in organizational, production and management processes are changing the world of work. These changes create a tension between the promise of greater efficiency and productivity at work and the consequences for the workforce, which have social, ethical and democratic implications. In order to explore these changes from a critical perspective, research will be carried out into the following:

- Discrimination in employment and biases related to gender, age, origin or functional diversity in the management algorithm.

- Discontent and controversy caused by precarious employment and intensified labour in digitalized workplaces and inequalities that shape careers and individuals' perception of work.

- Ethical and social implications arising from the development of algorithms in the workplace, with an examination of mechanisms that strengthen workers' protection and rights.
 
 
 
 
 
  

Artificial Intelligence and the World of Work: Power, Social Control, and New Forms of Associative Approaches and Activism in the Workplace

Artificial intelligence is transforming the world of work by establishing new forms of power and control based on algorithmic management. AI systems automate monitoring and decision-making, regulating key organizational processes through the application of opaque criteria justified by efficiency. This creates asymmetries between those who design or own the algorithms and those who are governed by them, increasing inequalities and eroding workplace autonomy. In response, innovative forms of digital activism and associative practices which seek to defend rights, guarantee decent conditions and promote a fair technological transition are emerging. Collaborative platforms, digital unions and transnational movements are using AI and social media to highlight inequalities, coordinate action, and strengthen collective participation. This line of research critically addresses these processes, analysing how AI redefines authority, work and social justice, and generates new strategies of resistance and solidarity, promoting a reformulation of worker power and the very meaning of organization in the 21st century.
 
 
  

Artificial Intelligence and Ideological Dilemmas in the Workplace: Contradictions, Tensions and Challenges in the Digital Society

This line of research addresses the impact of AI on labour structures and the ideological frameworks that support them. Automation and algorithms generate tensions between efficiency and precarious employment, innovation and loss of autonomy, meritocracy and surveillance. AI redefines notions of work, value and control, challenging the ethical principles of digital capitalism. These processes create contradictions between the promise of technological progress and the reproduction of socioeconomic inequalities, as well as the dehumanization of certain production processes. This line of research focuses on understanding how technocratic discourses legitimize or challenge these transformations, revealing the ideological disputes that shape workers' perceptions in the algorithmic age.

 

  
Diversity and inequality studies
 
The present proposal invites PhD candidates interested in exploring the multiple dimensions and interrelations of diversity and inequality - including the processes of visibility and invisibility, inclusion and social exclusion - and how they are shaped in the contemporary dynamics in three main àreas: education, communication and urbanism. Candidates are invited to explore, among other topics:
  • Discursive and visual representations of difference and diversity.
  • Gender and communication.
  • Emerging literacies and social inclusion.
  • Critical pedagogy and inclusiveness.
  • Urban spaces, equality and representation.
Dr Amalia Susana Creus
 
 
 
 NODES

Communication and mental health

Within our doctoral programme, we pursue a wide range of research into the multifaceted relationship between communication and mental health across various media. Doctoral candidates will have the opportunity to explore the impact of different communication media (traditional media, digital communication, advertising and influencers) on individuals' mental well-being. This research area also includes an examination of how mental health issues are portrayed and addressed in different media, with the aim of uncovering the intricate mechanisms and potential causal links between communication patterns across different platforms and mental health outcomes. Doctoral students will be able to employ a range of methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches to gain a comprehensive understanding of this critical intersection and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of communication and mental health.

 

Dr Manel Jiménez-Morales
Email: manel.jimenez@uoc.edu
 
 
Dr Mireia Montaña Blasco
Email: mmontanabl@uoc.edu
 
Dr  Marta Lopera Marmol
Email: mloperama@uoc.edu

 

 

GAME
 

Digital inclusion in culture, heritage and museums

The line of research focuses on the digital inclusion of people with disabilities in access to museums, heritage and cultural sites. Methodological approaches can vary from ethnographic, qualitative studies to action research through cultural practices.
 
Email: mcerdanc@uoc.edu

 


 

 

i2TIC