Women Candidates Going Public: The 30-Second Format

Abstract

What happens when women become political candidates? Although more women ran for public office and won in 1990 and 1992 than ever before, entering public realm that previously has been inhabited only by men is still relatively new undertaking for women. The public/private paradigm (Garlick, Dixon and Allen, 1992) tells us that public arena is realm of men (politicians and businessmen), while private sphere is domain of women. When women show signs of possessing power and seek entry into province of politics or business, they are often criticized for abandoning their traditional family roles. How then, does woman successfully compete with political opponent depicted by Theodore Roosevelt as the man who is actually in arena? In particular, how do women develop arguments using fast and furious format of 30-second political ad, and does their use of this format perpetuate, modify or serve to disprove preexisting stereotypes about women? Women's roles in political system have been subject of considerable scholarly debate. Showalter suggests that women are muted group interacting within dominant group of men and that such dominant groups control forms or in which consciousness can be articulated. Thus, muted groups must mediate their beliefs through allowable forms of dominant structures (Showalter, 1983, p. 200). According to Spitzack and Carter [a] small percentage of women gain access to dominant leadership studies. Membership is composed of privileged women who are acceptable by standards, women whose leadership skills match those of their (1987, p. 416). They point out, however, that extraordinary female is identified as well with her muted counterparts and her behavior is accordingly interpreted by gender criteria. In addition, to extent that woman is defined as an other, male definitions of competent leadership are adopted and female leadership styles are compared to them. As rule, muted group is compared to dominant group and is found to be deficient. Thus, women leaders are considered less effective and less competent than leaders. However, women who do exemplify competence in leadership roles are often viewed as pushy, bitchy, hostile, overly-ambitious. We posit that 30-second political advertisement is male-dominant structure through which women must mediate their political voice and leadership credentials in order to reach their constituencies. Within this format, women must present both private and public credentials, which results in fragmented narrative. This narrative form is what Flax describes, in referring to postmodern writings of Derrida and Foucault, as a series of 'positions' and heterogeneous polyphony of voices (Flax, 1990, p. 32). The individual narratives within 30-second format are frequently broken and incoherent. Little more than media representations tie them all together. Throughout history, women have been portrayed as other, comparison that empowers men and sustains political economy based on gender. Women have been relegated to private domain and labeled as dangerous and unnatural if insufficiently submissive. Today, private women who enter political life cannot match sanctioned public power of men and are often criticized for abandoning their private lives. The woman exhibiting power is frequently belittled as incompetent or portrayed as threatening - witch or dragon lady (Garlick, Dixon, & Allen, 1992). More men, as well as women, are beginning to accept idea of leadership role for women. Socialization patterns and fact that women continue to have primary child-care responsibility, however, limit degree to which women are able to enter public office. Women delay their entry into public world, do not follow traditional business or legal route into politics, and are disproportionately found in state legislative bodies which are close to their homes (Darcy, Welch and Clark, 1994, p. …