Press Portrayals of Women Politicians, 1870s2000s
From "Lunatic" Woodhull to "Polarizing" Palin
By (author) Teri Finneman
Publication date:
19 May 2017Length of book:
228 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksISBN-13: 9781498524261
Recent history suggests the United States is within reach of its first woman president. This book examines the media experiences of women political pioneers who helped pave the way to the breaking of the glass ceiling. It analyzes newspaper treatment of four pioneering politicians between the 1870s and 2000s and explores how media discourse of women politicians has and hasn’t changed over 150 years. The women featured are Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president; Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress; Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to receive a presidential nomination at a major party’s convention; and Sarah Palin, the first Republican woman vice presidential candidate. The social, political, and journalistic cultures of each woman’s era are also explored to provide context for the women’s media coverage. The findings illustrate that the press has used a variety of discursive strategies to delegitimize the candidacies of women politicians throughout history, which might have contributed to negative voter attitudes toward women in politics. Gendered stereotypes, gendered news frames, and double binds utilized in news coverage served to protect a male-dominated status quo. Yet a significant finding in Palin’s coverage indicates that gender bias in news coverage is increasingly facing criticism, suggesting the tide may finally be turning in favor of more equalized discourse.
Press Portrayals ofWomen Politicians is organized and written logically, coherently, and persuasively. The chapters progress chronologically, guiding the reader through news coverage of female political candidates during various waves of feminism and shifts in journalistic norms. The case studies follow similar structures, enabling a clear progression of ideas and comparison across female candidates. In its tone and structure, the book reads, at times, like it may have evolved from a doctoral dissertation but is engaging and accessible. It will appeal to scholars across disciplines and readers with an interest in gender, politics, and media at their various intersections. In the short term, it is timely in light of the upcoming 2016 presidential election and Hillary Clinton’s place within it. In the long term, it is a lasting contribution to knowledge about political women pioneers specifically and women’s political history generally.