This research examines the politics of I.Q. and gender discourses. It looks at how written materials in this field either make clear or hide the repressive gender roles that exist in society. In my opinion, the news does not present a truthful picture of the world; rather, it enforces ideological ideas with socioeconomic roots. A story from the BBC News website serves as the basis for the analysis of the data. This book represents the intricate and nuanced discursive work surrounding gender disparities and is connected to current studies on intelligence.
As a result, traditional psychologists subscribe to the idea that “intelligence” can be measured objectively and is made up of “cognitive” attributes (Cernovsky, 1991). They therefore believe that language is a passive “tool” that allows for the conceptualization of “intelligence” (Alec & Rapley, 2003). Therefore, conventional psychology promotes language conventions and limitations that uphold the perception of I.Q. research as a value-free discipline (Parker, 1997). Journalists who pretentiously strive to report news in an unambiguous “fashion” also follow these standards (Fowler, 1991)
However, discourse analysts view discursive acts rather than intrapsychic processes as the underlying cause of psychological traits like “intelligence” (Cernovsky, 1994). So, rather of being something people possess, we may argue that “I.Q.” is something that people do through the use of language (Kamin, 1995). Therefore, language and phrases with scientific connotations, like “Intelligence Quotient,” serve a performative purpose in “writing” particular versions of “truth,” as opposed to being a passive “window” (Antaki, 2006). Therefore, I investigate the pragmatics of language use and how it contributes to the perpetuation of gender inequality using discourse analysis (DA).
