Home sweet home

: how does Máxima magazine expose the problems that hinder female emancipation within the familiar and domestic realm?

Abstract

The feminist battle against the canons of the patriarchal system is a long-standing cause, as gender disparity is at the root of western societies. As some of its fundamental ideals have been passed down through the centuries, one must consider the many means through which, as part of a culture, they’re transmitted through spoken, lived or documented form. Despite a gradual change, one of the most historically wronged figures of all time is the woman, especially when it comes to having power over her own rights as a citizen. In Portugal, the so-called “women’s movements” had a rather unclear expression, followed by a much slower journey compared to the rest of Western Europe, mainly due to the dictatorship known as Estado Novo, where the narrative of domesticity reigned for Portuguese women, only accentuating their incalculable burden. As one of the forms of media that best depict the contemporary woman are female magazines, this dissertation will explore Máxima magazine’s approach, as a supporter of the feminist movement, to quotidian issues faced by women in a familiar and domestic context, as well as the solutions presentedto the female reader towards gender equality.

Date of Award	30 Jul 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Jorge Fazenda Lourenço (Supervisor) & Cátia Ferreira (Co-Supervisor)