This research was aimed at investigating the progression of knowledge concerning women and the media in Thailand during 1977-1992. Data collection was undertaken through literature reviews of the topic for various content of women subjects in relation to the media. Focus was on an anlysis of interrelated variables attributable to a holistic view of women's role as media professionals and audienced of different media types, and as portrayed in the media. The synthesis of relevant research was also performed within the coneptual framework of the communication process theory. Results were concluded as the following: (1) Insofar there were approximately 83 research projects on women and the media conduced within 15 years. Research on women as media receivers four times outnumbered the study of them as media professionals. Emphasis was also placed on their media uses and gratification of magazines. Meanwhile, there was only one study concerning women and cinema. A content analysis of women's role and status appearing in the media was the most concern among those researchers. A study of the roles women play in politics and a national development was respectively done as an avergae. The least was research on women and economics. (2) Although the findings showed an increasing number of women involved in media eduation and media professionals, the opportunity to achieve top position inn their career is still less likely as opposed to men. (3) Fewer studies of women regarding their clectronic media behaviour in comparison to the print media was due to difficulties in data collection, inadequacy of systematic methodology, and a lack of skillful researchers in the area. (4) It was also found that nowadays women were capable of accessing and consuming all types of media. Nevertheless, changes in the media itself were unlikely to be responsive to the need of those audiences. (5) Various factors appeared to engender research concerning a portrayal of women in different types of the media. They were: (1) the continuation of research interest in women issues; (2) role identity of women in the society; (3) the conceptual influence from the mainstream of media theories; and (4) 1 periodical specification of a social context. (6) One half of the overall research was concerned with women's media behaviour, but the majority shared the same direction which geared towards baseline data on media consumption and its effect. Only a few of them laid ground on media uses and gratification approaches to gain insightful understanding of women's opinion and their media needs.
