Unpacking the common stereotypical descriptions of the “criminal male sub-Saharan African refugee” in contrast to the “helpless trafficked women” in the European media, this paper questions contemporary European perspectives on migration, with references to gender. The research is based on a critical exploration of the representation of male and female refugees in German and British media outlets. It links predominant gender regimes to the gendered presentation of refugees within the migration-security nexus in the media. Using Feminist Security Studies as a theoretical foundation, the paper explains the assignment of specific roles and behaviours to the genders. The paper shows that there are indeed discrepancies in the presentation of refugees according to their gender even though they are not as striking as one would expect. Variation between media in Germany and the UK is minor. The findings demonstrate that Europe-wide gender norms prevail over differences in security settings between the UK and Germany. Furthermore, the results intriguingly show the portrayal of male refugees in the roles of criminals or perpetrators and the connected prevalent European gender regime in public discourse which influences decision-making in EU border and migration politics. Unpacking gendered notions of male and female migrants is crucial to understand (competing) interests in migration governance. The results also highlight the explanatory potential of Feminist Security Studies for Refugee Studies.
