Gender in electoral advertising: female candidates in the 2018 majority elections and the discourse mobilized in free televised electoral advertising

Abstract:

This paper aims to discuss the characteristics of female candidates’ campaigns, focusing on their electoral communication. The article builds on the findings of gender and politics research about the difficulties and obstacles faced by female candidates. The empirical analysis was based on the systematic observation of 488 segments of free political advertising time, and investigates how six women who ran for Presidency and state governments built their TV campaigns during 2018 elections. The focus was on the systematization of the thematic agenda, discursive approaches, appeals and stereotypes. The results demonstrate that the campaign was characterized by substantial neutrality, although there are differences among the female candidates, especially on the topics covered. Stereotypes were less common compared to previous research.

Keywords: electoral campaign; gender; free electoral broadcast airtime; women candidates