Sustainability and Women’s Magazines in Germany – “BRIGITTE BE GREEN” as an example

Abstract

Sustainability is a relevant topic for gender studies in communication and media studies, not only because sustainability topics in communication and media studies can and should be analyzed from a gender perspective, but also because gender-related media outlets take up the topic of sustainability: for example, women's magazines, which are traditionally the subject of gender studies in communication and media studies and which now also deal with sustainability as a topic. Of particular interest at the connection between sustainability and women's magazines in Germany is the magazine Brigitte BE GREEN, which, as a "line extension" of the women's magazine Brigitte, explicitly focuses on sustainability as a topic in its issues. Brigitte BE GREEN was published twice a year from 2019 to 2023.
The project investigated the following research questions in a qualitative study: What meaning of sustainability is constructed in Brigitte BE GREEN? Which products and practices are characterized and presented as sustainable? What norms and values are constructed in Brigitte BE GREEN and what does this mean for gender roles? To answer these questions, a qualitative content analysis was triangulated with an image analysis. All issues of Brigitte Be Green were used as a sample.