Differences by gender and origin in the representation of Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in the Spanish press (2002–2022)

This study analyses the representation of Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in the Spanish press of reference—ABC, El País, El Mundo, and La Vanguardia—from an intersectional perspective of gender and origin and, therefore, of ethnicity and religion as well. Quantitative content analysis methodology was applied for the study, based on a corpus of 225 news units, deductively establishing a series of categories for the main topics and sources, in parallel with the application of three frame models, thus enabling an analysis of the similarities and differences in the representation of the two groups of refugees. Among the noteworthy results, the intersectional study by gender and origin provides significant results regarding the refugees, who are presented as homogeneous groups. Differences are thereby distinguished, ranging from a general humanitarian representation to an empathetic one in the case of Ukrainian women, hospitable regarding Afghan women (i.e. a representation that emphasises welcome, protection, and a moral duty to play host), and securitarian and threatening in the case of Afghan men (i.e. a representation focused on national security, portraying them as potential risks or as a threat to public order).