In my research, I examine the ways in which media coverage may contain gender bias and reinforce stereotypes about women in the political arena in Israel and in other countries. My starting point is that the media is not merely a “mirror” that reflects social values and norms; it is also an active agent in shaping them. Through language, framing, agenda-setting, and interpretation, the media can construct new social meanings and, at times, exert a subtle, symbolic, and enduring influence on public perceptions and on the electoral decision-making of potential voters.

Within this context, I analyze the dichotomous division embedded in media discourse between traits and issues perceived as “masculine”, such as assertiveness, power, security, and “hard” policy domains, often attributed to male politicians; and traits and issues perceived as “feminine”, such as passivity, sensitivity, care, and welfare, often attributed to female politicians. Such coverage patterns are far from neutral: they narrow women’s symbolic space in politics, draw boundaries of public “legitimacy,” and at times position women in advance at a disadvantage vis-à-vis the dominant political standard.

Ultimately, these dichotomous distinctions undermine the symbolic representation of women seeking to operate in political and public arenas and, in more practical terms, may also affect their electability and the ways in which public opinion evaluates their political competence. Against this backdrop, my research seeks to expose the media mechanisms that sustain gender inequality and to offer a critical understanding of the relationships between media, gender, and political power.