Media images and gender representation: female politicians in Russian and western media

“She had clarity of thought, unerring delivery and was for the most part unwavering in her conviction on Scottish independence” Can Nicola Sturgeon be our prime minister instead? (2019, November 23). Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/nicola-sturgeon-snp-question-time-leaders-debate-jo-swinson-boris-johnson-corbyn-a9214921.html.

“<…> Nicola Sturgeon is possibly the best politician in the UK at the moment” Rentoul J. (2020, January 18). If we want to keep Scotland in the UK, we are going to have to fight for it. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/scotland-indyref-snp-nicola-sturgeon-boris-letter-independence-referendum-a9289756.html.

“<…> well known for dishing out blows to opponents in both Holyrood and Westminster…” Drury C. (2019, September 15). Nicola Sturgeon smashed in head by swingball. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/nicola-sturgeon-smashed-head-swingball-snp-anne-mclaughlin-a9106211.html .

Apart from that, the recent articles also concern Scotland government's actions on the coronavirus situation in the country including Nicola Sturgeon's statements as the First Minister. Such news reports convey information as neutrally as possible.

Thus, it can be concluded that the coverage of Nicola Sturgeon in the Independent is rather beneficial and can help increase public assurance in her suitability for the political office.

Overall, the analysis of the coverage of the selected Western female politicians in the Russian, American, and British sources presents quite controversial results. Still, there is a clear and explainable pattern for the country-based preferences in coverage. However, it does not imply favourable coverage if the country of source and the politician match. The media are more likely to describe female politicians - either positively, or negatively - based on their achievements in their political doings. The references to personal characteristic, though not frequent, still persist.

Do Russian female politicians receive media attention in the Western sources? If they do, how do the Western media describe Russian female politicians?

At the second stage of this research, I aim to analyze how the Russian female politicians, namely Elvira Nabiullina and Ella Pamfilova, are covered in the chosen Western sources. First, I studied the representation of Elvira Nabiullina in the four Western news sources; subsequently, I repeated the procedure for Ella Pamfilova. According to preliminary keyword search, the aforementioned Russian female politicians either do not receive sufficient attention for research or are not mentioned at all in articles published over the past year period. Consequently, I decided to review all news reports published from 1997 to ensure a more comprehensive approach.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to make any conclusions since Elvira Nabiullina is mentioned only once in all the Wall Street Journal articles Hannon P. (2019, June 14). Emerging Markets Cut Interest Rates Amid Expectations of Looser Fed Policy. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/emerging-markets-cut-interest-rates-amid-expectations-of-looser-fed-policy-11560515509?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=6, Simmons A. M. (2019, August 4). Russians Flock to Easy Loans as Income Dips. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/russians-flock-to-easy-loans-as-income-dips-11564911001?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=4 as Bank of Russia Governor. The news reports only restate her announcements in one or two sentences. Nevertheless, there is one instance of beneficial coverage in the article with a positively framed headline Cui C., Ostroukh A. (2016, August 23). The Woman Who Revived Russia's Markets. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/emerging-markets-rising-star-russia-1471979430?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=16:

“Many investors credit central-bank chief Elvira Nabiullina for Russia's resurgence”.

While it was feasible to retrieve at least some information at the Wall Street Journal website, there is only one article at Politico.com that mention Elvira Nabiullina. It provides an insight into the national monetary policy of “the head of Russia's central bank” White B., Weaver .

In the same way, there are no articles published during the past year period in the Times. On the whole, Elvira Nabiullina is mentioned in 13 news reports from 2011 to 2019. These references include mere citing her official post with one instance of attributing a positively connotated adjective “doveish” King I. (2013, June 25). A fixed bundle is key down the line. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a-fixed-bundle-is-key-down-the-line-cvhqcfg5t8m and one article dedicated solely to her nomination as Russia's central bank chairperson Hoyle B. (2013, March 13). Putin's female aide to run central bank. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putins-female-aide-to-run-central-bank-5dthv3fmhqp. Surprisingly, a 2013 news report refers to a woman in this position as a “chairman” without using a gender-inclusive euphemism.

Further on, in the majority of its articles the Independent highlight that Elvira Nabiullina is the first woman in Russia to run the central bank. In addition, one news report regards Elvira Nabiullina as “the widely respected central bank chief” Ebel F. (2018, July 15). World Cup 2018: Russian women angry at sexist criticism over dating foreign fans. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/world-cup-2018-russian-women-dating-foreign-football-fans-sexist-criticism-a8448046.html, in this way foregrounding the powerful position she occupies in the political hierarchy of Russia.

Then, I studied the coverage of Ella Pamfilova in the chosen Western sources. The Wall Street Journal articles briefly mention and describe her work as Russia's human rights commissioner and, recently, the head of the Central Election Commission. While all the references are neutral, there is one positive remark on her behalf, i.e. she is regarded as “an energetic rights advocate since the Soviet era” Boudreaux R. (2010, July 31). Activist Chief Quits Kremlin's Human-Rights Council. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703314904575399182225549628?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=7.

Unfortunately, Ella Pamfilova does not receive any coverage in Politico.com news reports throughout whole publication period.

At the Times website, there are two almost identical articles Bennets M. (2020, January 16). Prime minister Medvedev and cabinet resign to ease Vladimir Putin's path to lifelong power. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/prime-minister-medvedev-and-cabinet-resign-to-ease-putins-path-to-lifelong-power-nr8g5387d, Bennets M. (2020, January 15). Dmitry Medvedev quits to `smooth' Vladimir Putin's path to endless power. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/changes-proposed-by-putin-could-prolong-his-already-long-rule-qqw6cxw8c published in 2020 that make a reference to Ella Pamfilova. Since they only mention her as the head of the Election Commission, I decided to broaden the year publication sample. It is noteworthy to track the dynamics in the use of the gender-inclusive language. Thus, in the 2010 article Human rights adviser resigns after Medvedev brings in `thought crimes' law. (2010, July 31). Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/human-rights-adviser-resigns-after-medvedev-brings-in-thought-crimes-law-slg0sgpqrbz Ella Pamfilova is referred to as “chairman”, whereas in the 2017 article Parfitt T. (2017, December 26). Boycott election, says Putin critic Alexei Navalny after he is barred from poll. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boycott-election-says-putin-critic-alexei-navalny-after-he-is-barred-from-poll-kr6b2gg93 she is referred to as “chairwoman”. Such changes emphasize not only the linguistic development towards the inclusion of female actors, but also the changes in the society and political sphere in particular. There are also beneficial commentaries:

“She had led the council since 2002, earning widespread respect from Kremlin opponents for her independent views” Human rights adviser resigns after Medvedev brings in `thought crimes' law. (2010, July 31). Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/human-rights-adviser-resigns-after-medvedev-brings-in-thought-crimes-law-slg0sgpqrbz.

“She has already earned plaudits for cancelling local elections in a Moscow suburb after allegations of vote fraud” Bennets M. (2016, August 9). Putin uses every trick in the book to muzzle rivals. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-uses-every-trick-in-the-book-to-muzzle-rivals-58qkff23l.

The analysis of the news reports published in the Independent reveals preferences for neutral and limited coverage. However, there is one example that represents the public's opinion on the ludicrousness of the 2018 election results:

“Moscow's elections chief Ella Pamfilova eventually ruled that election invalid. But she was largely ridiculed for her insistence that the complaints demonstrated fair and competitive elections” Carroll O. (2018, September 24). Kremlin in shock as Russians reject hand-picked candidates for third week in a row. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/elections-vladimir-khabarovsk-vladimir-putin-united-russia-solovei-vinogradov-a8552916.html.

That is the only instance of negatively framed attitude towards Ella Pamfilova in the analyzed news articles.

To conclude, the analysis of the media coverage of the Russian female politicians in the Western sources presents more or less homogenous results. Overall, Elvira Nabiullina and Ella Pamfilova receive significantly less attention in the news articles which inhibits the credibility of the analysis. However, if they are present, they receive comparatively neutral coverage and in some instances it is even positive. Nevertheless, there was a negatively framed remark towards Ella Pamfilova and her actions as the chairwoman of the Russian Central Election Commission. Assumingly, this commentary stems from supposed manipulation of the election. However, such assumptions will not be studied further since they are beyond the research question of this paper.

Results

The preliminary keyword search helped reveal the quantitative patterns of coverage of the female politicians chosen for the sample. The findings confirmed that there is a strong interdependence between the country of a female politician represents and the quantity of coverage in the corresponding sources. Remarkably though, the Russian media report on the chosen Western female politicians significantly more often than the Western media cover the Russian female politicians.

Following the formulated research questions, the first aspect of analysis relates to the comparison of the Western female politicians' in the Western and Russian sources. In this way, the Kommersant articles describe the Western female politicians either neutrally or positively. Only two articles make references to Nancy Pelosi's and Nicola Sturgeon's emotions, though they cannot be referred to as negative. However, there were several instances of unfavourable coverage of Theresa May both in the headline and in the body of the articles. What is more, she is the only female politician whose appearance and outfits were the center of attention in one of the analyzed articles. On the contrary, the articles in Ria.ru refer to Nancy Pelosi's emotions and appearance slightly more often. Again, Theresa May is the only female politician who receives disproportionally negative coverage both in terms of her policies and personality. As compared with Kommersant, Ria.ru presents more instances of unfavourable coverage of female politicians.

Analyzing the Western media platforms, I found quite controversial evidence. While news reports are more likely to stick to gender-neutral language representation, the opinion articles differ significantly. It is crucial to note that male reporters seem to frame female politicians more negatively whereas female reporters are more positive towards them, though there are some exceptions, for example, due to widespread dissatisfaction with a particular female politician's actions. However, sometimes it is difficult to retrieve useful information on the representation in terms of limited quantity of coverage as it is in the case with Nicola Sturgeon who is the least mentioned Western female politician. Further, as it concerns Politico.com, “Congress articles” on Nancy Pelosi and “Elections article” on Elizabeth Warren follow a neutral frame for coverage while “Magazine” publications are more opinionated. Following the aforementioned pattern, both the Wall Street Journal and Politico.com cover Theresa May rather negatively as a politician and as a person. The British media platforms seem to be more favoring towards the American female politicians. Remarkably though, the Times is the only source that mentions the age of a politician. While the American media cover Elizabeth Warren rather controversially, the Times is positive even in reporting on her leaving the presidential race. Nevertheless, Theresa May again receives sarcastic commentaries, particularly in the articles that revolve around her post-prime ministerial activities. Compared with the American media coverage, the Times is sometimes more scornful towards Nicola Sturgeon, though there are also beneficial comments on her policies and standing. The same pattern is visible in the Independent articles that are more encouraging towards the American female politicians and hypercritical towards the British politicians.

The second aspect of analysis concerns the coverage of the Russian female politicians in the Western media sources. Elvira Nabiullina is most often mentioned in articles as the Head of the Central Bank of Russia and only once in the body of the articles which lowers significantly the visibility of a politician. In two out of four sources, e.g. the Times and Politico.com, she is mentioned once or is not mentioned at all during the past year publications. Nevertheless, the Independent highlight the high position of Elvira Nabiullina and her respectability. The coverage of Ella Pamfilova is more challenging to analyze, primarily due to the limited number of references (for example, she is not mentioned in Politico.com even once). However, there is one instance of negative coverage which excels from neutral examples.

Thus, the results indicate the need for further analysis which may fill the existent gaps and inconsistencies prone to this study.

Conclusion

In this work, my main objective was to compare and contrast the coverage of Russian and Western female politicians in the Russian and Western media sources. To suffice the research aim, I examined the coverage of four Western female politicians in two Russian and four Western news agencies as well as the coverage of two Russian female politicians in four Western media. I attempted to assess the language employed by the reporters to convey information that focuses on the studied female politicians. The implications of this research are troubling since the analysis results are quite mixed and controversial.

Firstly, as it concerns the coverage of the Western female politicians chosen for the sampling, the results vary across news sources. The Russian media mention the Western female politicians rather often ranging from 103 to 498 references in 2019, with the exclusion Nicola Sturgeon who was mentioned approximately 15 times. Consequently, it can be suggested that the Russian news sources do not aim to minimize the coverage of foreign female actors in the political sphere. With some exceptions, the Russian media tend to follow a gender-neutral frame to represent the Western female politicians. However, Theresa May receives rather negative coverage which focuses on her personality traits and clothes as well as political actions.

On the other hand, the results of the analysis of the Western sources are more controversial. All female politicians receive both positive and negative evaluation patterns, though the positivity/negativity ratio varies between sources. Remarkably though, there seems to be correspondence between the gender of the reporter, i.e. women wrote more favourably framed articles than men. However, this allegation calls for an in-depth study.

Compared to references to the Western politicians in the Russian media, the Russian female politicians are mentioned far less in the Western sources. They are most often mentioned according to the occupied office without further discussion. There are beneficial comments on the stature of the selected Russian female politicians but the limited frequency does not ensure a comprehensive analysis.

Consequently, the results help outline the limitations of this work. Firstly, in order to provide more exhaustive and representative results it is important to broaden the sample of news sources. The more media agencies are included in the sampling, the easier it will be to detect the patterns that account for biased coverage. Secondly, since the Russian female politicians are underrepresented in the Western sources, it incurbs the scientific value of this research. In addition, due to different tools for keyword search used at all websites, it was difficult to retrieve the “A female politician's name + verb” pattern. Thus, it seems plausible to use special tools and systems for analysis. Reviewing the use of this pattern is crucial in media analysis as it can signal different subtle biases (Murray, 2012, p. 49). Furthermore, analyzing opinion articles or feature articles can serve as a more representative source due to the specific focus of their attention. However, it was not possible to resort to them only or else it would limit substantionally the number of analyzed articles.

The aforementioned limitations allow deducing areas for further research. First and foremost, it is important to extend the number of Western media sources to ensure a proper analysis of the coverage of Russian female politicians. Also, it is feasible to encompass other publication periods to have an insight into the dynamics of the language use in coverage corresponding to the changing gender roles. What is more, it seems crucial to study the correspondence between the gender of the reporter and the framing techniques used to represent a female polirician as it has been suggested that the high ratio of males in the newsroom accounts for misrepresentation of female politicians (Shor, 2019, p. 977). However, as it concerns Russian media, such analysis will assumingly face constraints since the majority of articles do not include the author's name.

Thus, it is obvious that in the modern world the issue of gender representation in media still requires scientific attention and given its limitations this work can still serve as a useful basis for further research.

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