“Quota[ed]”: The impact of gender quota on the visibility of female politicians in the media

Abstract

This thesis takes gender quota – a mechanism that is designed to correct imbalances – and examines whether the application of this mechanism can have positive benefits for female candidates media visibility. Gender quotas are widely recommended as a means of improving the supply of female candidates. However, the potential benefits quota may have on demand side factors – that often manifest in cultural realms such as the media – are yet to be analysed. This thesis fills a scholarly gap by examining how female candidates media visibility can be influenced by the introduction of quota. This thesis argues that the impact of the media on female candidates success in European society is yet to be fully examined, and uses the concept of Mediated Politics to emphasise this. It examines the chronic underrepresentation of females in both politics and media representation, and explores this relationship concluding a focus on improving the media attention female candidates receive could be a means of rectifying the current inequalities seen in Europe. Therefore, it examines whether quota can be used as a means of improving media equality. To analyse this, Ireland was used as a case study, as gender quota were introduced in 2012. It uses a Most Similar Design System to compare, through a content analysis, the media visibility of candidates during the 2011 and 2016 parliamentary campaigns. Expert interviews are then used to contextualise the findings. The findings indicate that positive benefits for media representation of female candidates can be observed with the introduction of quota however; particularly in the number of articles they are mentioned in. However, this thesis also identifies a number of social factors that could further explain the increase in media presence.