Nexus between TikTok and Gender Stereotypes: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Abstract

This research examines Pakistani-produced materials on TikTok’s reinforcement of gendered norms through performative and visual techniques. The aim was to investigate how gender roles are created and normalized on the virtual content space of TikTok. The main research question of this study was how TikTok content shapes the construction and enforcement of gender stereotypes in Pakistan. The research employed a qualitative design, with purposive sampling used to identify 10 TikTok creators with high online visibility and gendered themes in their videos. A representative video from each creator was chosen and analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis. The constructionist approach permitted both surface and latent meaning. Outcomes were that stereotypical narratives were algorithmically privileged, resistant narratives not. The research concludes that hegemonic gender roles are reproduced on TikTok in Pakistan under the entertainment cover.