Revisiting the Impact of Modernization on Support for Women Politicians: The Role of Women’s Political Empowerment

We examine the role of societal modernization and women’s political empowerment in generating support for women politicians amongst citizens. Using a global analysis of 116 countries with a new dataset of micro- and macro-level longitudinal data, we show that societal modernization and women’s political empowerment only have positive effects on support for women in politics when the other is also present. For citizens who experienced either societal modernization or women’s political empowerment, but not both, we do not see this positive relationship. Crucially, these patterns hold when analysing the current social and political context, as well as the context experienced by citizens during their formative years. We argue that both social and political changes are required to develop supportive attitudes towards women in politics.

How Are Women Politicians Treated in the Press? The Case of Spain, France and the United Kingdom

Women politicians have been discriminated against or negatively valued under stereotypes in media coverage and have been given a secondary role compared to male politicians. The article proposes an analysis of the treatment given by digital media to women political leaders. They are from different parties in three countries and the aim is to identify the polarity (positive, neutral or negative) of the information published about them in the media. The text focuses on the cases of Anne Hidalgo and Marine Le Pen, from France, Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May, from the United Kingdom and Ada Colau and Inés Arrimadas, from Spain. The study develops a computerised sentiment analysis of the information published in two leading digital newspapers in each country, during the month of November 2019. The research, with the analysis of 1100 journalistic pieces, shows that the polarity or valence of the women analysed is predominantly neutral and positive and that the journalistic genres do not determine the media representation of the women studied. On the contrary, the country of study does have a predominant incidence on the way in which women politicians are represented, while the relationship of affinity or antipathy of the Spanish media with the women politicians studied is significant.

From Polarization to Hate: Portrait of the Spanish Political Meme

Political polarization in Spain has been aggravated by a left-wing coalition government and the rise of the extreme right in the context of health and economic crisis created by COVID-19. This article delves into the collective story that memes offer of this context and aims to establish a categorization that can be used for comparison with other countries. We carried out a content analysis of 636 Spanish political memes published on Twitter throughout 2020. Current affairs were taken into account, as well as the frame, and rhetorical elements, references to popular culture, and symbols. We also took into consideration the objectives of the message and the presence of offensive content. We demonstrate that these memes do not play a subversive role, but rather contribute to the polarization and fragmentation of the digital public, echoing the existing ideological confrontation. They do not deliver new ideas, but only reproduce expressions and disqualifications already existing in the society, although the disinhibition of anonymity magnifies the intensity. Current affairs are an excuse to convey ideological position, and political communication becomes more emotional. There are no significant differences in terms of political polarization between left and right, and criticism toward politicians is mainly of personal and moral nature. Hate speech on other social media appears in these cultural creations, highlighting the misogyny toward women politicians regardless of their political party. The rhetorical and expressive resources are adapted to this confrontation, and there is little innovation because it is subject to the understanding of the message.

Gender

This chapter explores the way that gender influences and blocks ambition. Despite recent progress, women still are grossly underrepresented at the top and overrepresented at the bottom in measures of power and economic reward. In explaining these disparities, research suggests that while women may be more ambivalent about ambition than men and ambitious for somewhat different things, the primary explanation for their different achievements lies elsewhere: in gender bias, stereotypes, and socialization patterns; and in inequalities in family responsibilities and inadequacies in workplace policies. Discussion focuses on the special obstacles to ambition for women of color, women leaders, and women politicians. Gender differences in mentors, sponsors, and allies and in the incidence of sexual harassment and online abuse compound the problems. These inequalities are not only unjust for individuals, but they also impair organizational performance. The chapter closes with strategies for ambitious women and for organizations seeking greater equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Media Representation of Women Parliamentary Candidates in Africa

Chapter 6 focuses on how women candidates are portrayed in the media. The chapter analyzes the coverage of women candidates in Ghana’s Daily Graphic, one of the country’s largest newspapers, during the December 2016 general election. Studies of how the media cover women politicians are quite rare in Africa. In this study, Coffie and Medie find that women candidates do not face bias in the quantity or quality of media coverage. Instead, women candidates are somewhat more likely to be covered by the Daily Graphic and articles on women are slightly longer than articles on men. Moreover, the coverage of women is not disproportionately focused on women’s issues, nor is it disproportionately negative and focused on women’s appearance. To explain these surprising findings, Coffie and Medie draw on interviews with reporters and elected women representatives.