"(Dis)-empowering messages? How gender biased news coverage affects women in politics."

International Women’s Day 7 March, 2017

European Parliament

Maarja Luhiste * Susan Banducci * Laura Sudulich

Women and Media

• Are there gender differences in candidates’ news media coverage and social media use during the 2014 European Parliament elections?

• Does gendered news media coverage affect women’s descriptive representation, and thus the overall quality of electoral democracy?

Little Improvement in News Media Coverage of Women EP Candidates

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2004 2009 2014

Men

Women

Note: Main Actors in News Coverage about European Election 2004-2009 in Malta, Cyprus, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary

Media coverage of female candidates

• The more female candidates, the more news media coverage on women?

Social Media Use Is Linked to Representation of Women

• Women under-represented in news media coverage.

• e.g. Croatia almost 50% women candidates but women make up only only 20% of coverage.

Gender differences in media coverage: 2014 EP elections

34.4

12.3

0.5

7.2

41.6

5.8 2.1

4.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

Shown on photo Challenged Reference toappearance

Reference tofamily

Men Women

Effects on electoral outcomes

• Higher visibility of female candidates more women elected.

Is Social Media an Alternative?

• Making direct appeals to voters may minimise impact of gendered media coverage.

• Women candidates as likely to use Twitter and tweet as often.

• Is Twitter a ‘woman friendly’ platform?

Candidates’ use of Twitter: 2014 EP election

Social Media Use Is Linked to Representation of Women

• Where women use Twitter, they are more likely to be represented.

• e.g. Latvia 1/3 use Twitter and 1/3 women in media coverage.

Recommendations

• Political party support for digital campaigns – women more likely to use social media when digital support provided by parties (EES Candidate Survey).

• Recommend media self-regulation (and monitoring) on achieving gender parity in news coverage (similar to political party parity for PSBs).

• More research on how women’s parity in media organisations influences non-gendered media coverage.

Data

• Candidates use of Twitter (2014 EES Social Media Study).

• Newspaper coverage of MEP candidates in 8 new

member states. • 3 newspapers: 2 broadsheet and 1 tabloid per

country. – With the exception of Latvia and Poland (coding in

progress).

• 3 weeks prior the 2014 EP elections.