adressing social complexities when writing about women

Hi all,

i'm researching women characters on TV as part of my thesis, and i've come across a fraught issue. on the one hand, i'm worried that if i just write about the gender and social issues each character faces and incorporate characters from various races, statuses, sexualities and ages, i might generalize culture-specific complexities. but on the other hand, if i separate characters according to social categories and give each social group its own space, i might miss complexities of groups i'm not a part of...

i want to research various forms of character contsruction, and would very much like to do so with sensitivity and thought. thanks for your input:)