Women Politicians and the Media: Catalan Government Representation in the Print Media (2010)

Abstract

This article explores the media representation of the Catalan government elected in the elections held by November 2010. Using content analysis on a sample of stories from five Spanish newspapers (El País, El Mundo, ABC, La Vanguardia, El Periódico de Catalunya), the first days of the government formation will be analyzed. The article compares the coverage of the male and female members of the government using six indicators: 1) visibility, 2) mentions to the appearance, personal life and references to professional background, 3) mentions to the politician gender and link to a male mentor, 4) name, 5) quotations, 6) personal traits, and 7) tone of the coverage. The study shows how women politician are still disadvantaged in relation to their male counterparts.