Women in Science Fiction: Opportunities and Constraints of Representations in Postfeminist Worlds

Popular Culture plays an important role in society including helping to shape our perceptions of groups and frames of different groups. This paper looks to the ways in which women and gender are portrayed in part of popular culture: the science fiction television genre. Drawing from academic studies of women's representation in other areas of popular culture, including an in depth literature review of academic work on Star Trek, the representations o f women in the science fiction television programs Battlestar Galactica (2003) and Dol/house (2009) are explored. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, conclusions are drawn about the impact of themes such as Power, Highlighted Sexuality, Appearance and Beauty, and Motherhood on the narratives and representations of women in postfeminist worlds.