Gender Stereotypes and Media Bias in Women's Campaigns for Executive Office: The 2009 Campaign of Dora Bakoyannis for the Leadership of Nea Dimokratia in Greece

Women comprise half the world's population yet they remain dramatically under-represented in political institutions around the world at every level and type of office. In recent years, women leaders like Michelle Bachelet, Julia Gillard, Park Geun-hye and Angela Merkel shattered their countries' highest glass ceilings to attain elite leadership positions; however, executive office remains extremely masculinized and male remains the default sex of office-holding. Based on a content analysis of an original data set of 811 articles consisting of 4,786 paragraphs, which draws from the analytical framework Rainbow Murray suggests in "Cracking the Highest Glass Ceiling: A Global Comparison of Women's Campaigns for Executive Office", this research examines the ways gender stereotypes and gendered media coverage shaped the contours of Dora's Bakoyannis campaign for the leadership of one of the major political parties in Greece. Overall, while not implicitly acknowledged in campaign discourse and media coverage, gender operated in the background, influencing the strategies and representation of the candidate, and though not the single driver, it was a contributory factor to her discredit and eventual defeat.

Author

• Oikonomou, Stefanos

Language

• en

Keyword

• women in politics
• Dora Bakoyannis
• women political candidates
• gender stereotypes
• women executives
• media gender bias

Date created

• 2014

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Political Management

Degree

• M.P.S.

Advisor

• Cornfield, Michael

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/xp68kg37h