ABSTRACT
Studies on media coverage have found that female nominees receive unequal treatment regarding their visibility and portrayal of their agendas. To assess how media cover women, municipal elections in Mexico are analysed. By focusing on municipal elections, this research advocate for the study of local phenomena and their discourses. The study questions whether women have received equal media exposure compared to men. The research analyses how women are portrayed and explores how print news media present stories about women and the narratives included in their stories. Findings suggest that female and male candidates are equally visible, but men are singled out more often as likely winners. News reports focus mostly on ‘male’ issues, but coverage does not focus disproportionally on female candidates’ personality traits.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Fernanda Vidal-Correa
Dr Fernanda Vidal-Correa is Professor at Universidad Panamericana, Campus México and Dean for Research in the School of Communication. She earned her M.A. and PhD in political science from the Department of Politics, University of Sheffield. Member of the National System of Researchers, currently leading the project “Women and Media”. She recently edited the book Political Representation and Gender Equality in Mexico (Palgrave Macmillan). Her research interests include women and politics, party politics, and women in media. Her current research focuses on the barriers women face in mass media corporations and the barriers media create when covering women.