Streaming Gender

Transnational Tales of Non-Western Dramas on Netflix

Abstract

The research examines the representation of gender dynamics in serial narratives produced in non-Western countries and distributed through Netflix. Owing to the prominent role of television series as both entertainment and cultural platforms that facilitate societal engagement - particularly among young adults - and critical reflection on contemporary social issues, they represent an ideal medium for examining the political and social challenges faced by youth today. The study focuses on three series, each consisting of one season, from Netflix Italy's catalog: A Love So Beautiful (China), Sparta (Russia), and Love 101 (Turkey). The audiovisual products share a common school setting centered on adolescent protagonists. The main objective is to understand how gender-related issues and gender roles are narrated in countries with political and cultural systems different from those of so-called Western Europe. The study integrates qualitative content analysis and visual analysis to evaluate 48 episodes. We developed an analytical-qualitative grid to explore how gender roles, relationships, and stereotypes are constructed through a gender-focused analysis while accounting for specific historical and local cultural contexts. Findings show that the three series articulate distinct affective regimes through which gender relations function as infrastructures of social regulation: normalization and emotional discipline in the Chinese case, negotiated relationality in the Turkish one, and coercive and dystopian configurations in the Russian narrative. Rather than converging toward Western liberal models of gender empowerment, these productions propose alternative configurations of youth subjectivity and intimacy, revealing how platform-mediated circulation contributes to the everyday enactment of soft power through affective and relational narratives. The study bridges local audiovisual production and global platform distribution, highlighting gendered youth narratives as key sites where cultural imaginaries, political meanings, and transnational audiences intersect.