The Effect of My Husband’s Lover on Filipino Audiences’ Level of Heteronormativity

The Effect of My Husband's Lover on Audiences' Level of Heteronormativity

Aquilizan, Z. & Manalese, K. (2014). The Effect of My Husband’s Lover on Filipino Audiences’ Level of Heteronormativity, Unpublished Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

This study determines the extent of exposure to the first gay-themed television drama series in the Philippines, My Husband’s Lover, of National Capital Region audiences and its effect on their level of heteronormativity measured in LaMar and Kite’s (1998) Components of Attitudes Toward Homosexuality, which include (1) condemnation/tolerance, (2) contact, (3) morality and (4) stereotypes. The study also measures the level of heteronormativity of the said show using the same domains. Audience’s socio-demographic characteristics and firsthand experiences were also measured and correlated to their degree of heterosexist attitudes.

Cultivation theory and queer theory were utilized to build the theoretical framework of the study. A survey was then randomly administered on 392 residents across fifty barangays and five cities in NCR. Fifty-one out of the ninety-four episodes of My Husband’s Lover were also analyzed through content analysis, chosen through random sampling.

Results indicate that the higher the extent of exposure to the My Husband’s Lover, the lower the extent of heterosexist attitudes become (γ = -0.59, p<0.5). The show was found to be decreasing heterosexist attitudes in terms of condemnation/tolerance and homosexual contact, but increasing in terms of morality and stereotypes. Socio-economic status and education have also been revealed to be inversely correlated to heterosexist attitudes. Results are the discussed in the background of Philippine culture.

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