JAMA covers reflect inappropriate stereotypes of women

On p 1603 Clark commends the journal JAMA for emphasising the role of the humanities in medicine through its cover paintings, but she wondered whether these covers also conveyed other messages. She reviewed 50 consecutive covers from March 1997 and found that 34 depicted humans: 15 women, 13 men, and six subjects of mixed or unknown sex. Of these, 25 presented stereotyped sex images---women were predominantly "objects" (of desire) and men were authoritative "subjects." Of the 15 images of women, 12 included babies and six nudity, whereas only one of the images of men included a child and none contained nudity. The author recommends a more balanced representation of women on the covers of JAMA.


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Relevant Article

Babes and boobs? Analysis of JAMA cover art • Commentary: An inconclusive study
Jocalyn P Clark and Elaine Showalter
BMJ 1999 319: 1603-1605. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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