It's a Man's World: A Qualitative Study of the (Non) Mediation of Women and Politics on Prime Time During the 2011 General Election

Abstract

The manner in which women appear, or disappear, within the Irish politics–media intersection is a question central to understanding the nature of contemporary politics for Irish women. This article explores the manner in which the 2011 General Election coverage broadcast on RTÉ's flagship current affairs series Prime Time was gendered. The representation of Irish women's engagement in politics was constituted through four dominant frames. Firstly, women are marginalised by being ‘framed out’ of the political picture, secondly, they are framed through a visual gendering of politicians which presents women in a limited manner, thirdly, the source-frame is not applied equally to men and women on Prime Time and finally, women are framed as participants only in a limited set of topics for discussion.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful for their comments to Mary Gilmartin, Kylie Jarrett and Pauline Cullen and to two Irish Political Studies referees for their insightful and helpful reviews.