Media Portrayal of Female Politicians

In politics, the media constitute a major source of the information that people use to shape their
ideas about who is worthy of representing them in government. On the other hand, media products,
such as news, are deeply embedded in cultural, social and economic values. While they may not
necessarily be aware of it, journalists often end up paying more attention to males, representing
their voices and views, and when they do pay attention to women, it is often in a gender
stereotypical way. In the media, female politicians are often asked about different topics than male
politicians, and more attention is paid to their appearance, family life, and especially motherhood. In
addition many female candidates feel that they have to “prove” themselves more than male
candidates, have to work harder than their male counterparts to succeed, and have to make more
effort in order to be acknowledged for their political work by the media. When Hillary Clinton was
first running for the U.S. Senate, she decided to wear exactly the same outfit every day during her
first campaign, as a means of protest that the media was paying more attention to her clothes than
her views. After a while, nobody talked about her clothes anymore, and she went on to become a
senator and later Secretary of State. It is important to point out that gender biases in the media can
have electoral consequences; at a time when politics is thoroughly mediatized, voters respond to
candidates largely in accordance with information (and entertainment) received from mass media.
This power must be used responsibly to avoid disempowering women and perpetuating their
underrepresentation in the corridors of power.