News media representations of women's political parties

This project investigates 'women's political parties' (WPPs) and explores the position they occupy in the relationship between media, gender, and electoral politics. The key research questions are:

1) How are WPPs and their candidates represented in print news media?
2) Do candidates of WPPs receive similar or differential media representation than female candidates of traditional parties?
3) What is an appropriate typology of women's political parties?

To answer these questions, I will adopt a mixed-methodology, first utilising qualitative thematic analysis of party manifestos, accessed via the Manifesto Project Database, to construct a party typology of WPPs. I will then implement a content analysis of print media coverage of five WPPs and their electoral candidates throughout 2019. The result of this study will be a well-rounded investigation of 'women's political parties' as a party family and a focused analysis of the extent of gendered media bias they face, compared to female political actors from other parties. The project is situated in the intersection of literature concerning gender, media, and electoral politics. A considerable number of studies have investigated the methods, extent, and impact of gendered media coverage of women in electoral politics, yet WPPs remain under-studied. My project will address this gap in scholarship, drawing on the wealth of pre-existing literature and a comprehensive mixed-methodology to provide original insight into the position of WPPs in gendered media and political systems.