Representation of political women in the mass media

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a research about the representation of political women in the Spanish mass media. Through a systematic analysis of the news published during a month in the major newspapers and news television, quantification and description the image showed by mass media about political leaders women is made with a posterior comparison with their male counterparts. This research tries to analyze if equality has been achieved in the treatment of men and women in mass media or if the media are neutral in relation to this kind of representation. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that there are remarkable gender differences in media when they present politicians. However there are also differences depending on the political party to which politicians belong or on the position that they occupy.

Keywords

• representación
• medios de comunicación
• mujer
• política