Gender in COVID-19 campaigns: An analysis of the Italian government communications

Abstract

The gender studies approach of this contribution addresses the issue of communication in the Italian government’s response to COVID-19. In the past, the government had often focused its communication on the promotion of political activities, with stereotypical representations of men and women instead of a culture of communication based on the concept of ‘civil servant’ with a gender lens. This article ponders whether methods of disseminating information and representing the pandemic are driven by innovative models of communication that advocate for a gender-conscious approach. Using a qualitative analysis, this contribution examines the government’s communication campaigns during the pandemic and inquires if and how the narrative of the pandemic has impacted the representation of gender. We analyse public service advertisements on television and in the digital media. Our results show distinct features of and issues with mainstream and social media storytelling strategies.