Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
The absence of gender bias in the media coverage of political campaigns is one of the elements of the much sought after political participation of women. In this respect, Mexico is an interesting case as its legal framework has transitioned in a few years to include a mandated parity principle. In this study, we examine the relationship between the volume of coverage and gender to determine if there were gender differences in the radio coverage of local elections in Mexico (2012-2015). Findings show lower average shares of coverage for women after the increase in female candidates mandated by the parity principle. Semi-structured interviews conducted with journalists and former candidates suggest that the gender bias may reflect adverse attitudes towards female newcomers benefitted by the parity law, and gender differences in campaign resources, candidate placement criteria, and candidates’ political experience.
Highlights
In an era of information and highly mediatized environments, media coverage is more important than ever for being effective as an electoral candidate
To determine if there exist gender differences in the radio coverage of elections, in this study we examine the relationship between volume of radio coverage of elections and candidate gender, as well as the significance of several contextual factors
The odds were greater for women to get a below-average share of radio coverage than they were for men, as the difference in media attention between men and women candidates obtaining above-average radio coverage is statistically significant
Summary
In an era of information and highly mediatized environments, media coverage is more important than ever for being effective as an electoral candidate. The absence of gender bias in the media coverage of political campaigns is, one of the elements of the much sought after political participation of women in the world. The affirmative action laws referred to typically compel political parties to not exceed a certain proportion of candidates of either gender To this day, most of the countries in Latin America have adopted legislated quotas to tackle women’s underrepresentation in legislative bodies (International IDEA, 2019). Most of the countries in Latin America have adopted legislated quotas to tackle women’s underrepresentation in legislative bodies (International IDEA, 2019) Their effects vary, as they depend on the precision of the law and the existence of penalties for non-compliance (Palma Cabrera & Cerva Cerna, 2014). Affirmative action benefitting women candidates has been met with considerable resistance from political parties (Palma Cabrera & Cerva Cerna, 2014; Freidenberg & Osornio, 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
