Have You Come a Long Way, Baby, Since 2008?: One Major Step Forward with Missteps Along the Way

ABSTRACT

The 2020 American election saw a record-breaking number of women vying for the Democratic presidential nomination and ended with Kamala Harris shattering the second-highest, hardest glass ceiling—the vice presidency. This significant event should not be taken for granted, but it is a mistake to assume sexism is no longer prevalent in American politics. This essay furthers our 2009 analysis of media frames that applied Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s archetypes of women leaders—iron maiden, sex object, mother, pet—to coverage of women seeking the presidency and vice presidency since 2008. We find substantial evidence that the iron maiden and sex object are still common frames and evolved based on changing trends, specific women, and racial stereotypes. We conclude by arguing these frames have real-world implications for how women candidates are evaluated and how they might impact a woman’s chances to win the presidency.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender stereotypes
• sexism
• women in politics
• women political candidates
• political communication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelly L. Winfrey

Kelly L. Winfrey (PhD, University of Kansas) is an associate professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University. Winfrey’s research focuses on political communication and women in politics. Email: [email protected]; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0994-5177. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kelly L. Winfrey, 613 Wallace Rd., Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50014.

Diana B. Carlin

Diana B. Carlin (PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is a professor emerita of Communication and former Associate Provost at Saint Louis University. Carlin’s research focuses on political debates, gender and media coverage, and the rhetoric of first ladies. Email: [email protected].