Women for President: Media Bias in Nine Campaigns

by Erika Falk

When Hillary Clinton announced her 2008 bid for president she was the Democratic front-runner. Despite this, she received less coverage than Barack Obama, who trailed her in the polls. Such a disparity is indicative of the gender bias the media has demonstrated in covering women candidates since the first woman ran for America’s highest office in 1872. Tracing the campaigns of eight women who ran for president through 2004--Victoria Woodhull, Belva Lockwood, Margaret Chase Smith, Shirley Chisholm, Patricia Schroeder, Lenora Fulani, Elizabeth Dole, and Carol Moseley Braun--Erika Falk finds little progress in the fair treatment of women candidates. A thorough comparison of the women’s campaigns to those of their male opponents reveals a worrisome trend of sexism in press coverage--a trend that still persists today.

While women have been elected to the highest offices in countries such as England, Germany, and India, the idea that a woman could be president of the United States provokes scoffs and ridicule. The press portrays female candidates as unviable, unnatural, and incompetent, and often ignores or belittles women instead of reporting their ideas and intent. Since voters learn most details about presidential candidates through media outlets, Falk asserts that this prevailing bias calls into question the modern democratic assumption that men and women have comparable access to positions of power.

Genres: History, Politics, Feminism, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2007

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think the media is liberal and bends over backwards to be politically correct? Think again. Falk's important and meticulously researched book shows that the media plays to stereotypes when it comes to women who run for the nation's highest office. Place newspaper quotes from 1872 side-by-side with quotes from the 70s, 80s, and the last election, and you would be hard-pressed to tell which was from which era. Warning: reading this book can make you so angry that you could spit or cry or both .... then, if you happen to be a woman, say goodbye to any chance of becoming President.

[Kaitlin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the edition of the book written in 2008. I found it to be a enjoyable academic read, which kept the reader entertained while still providing information in a factual manner. Prior to reading this, I was already aware of the immense bias that women candidates face throughout campaigns, not just in the media, but this book picks apart each different bias and provides in depth information about how each candidate was impacted. Note that the version of the book that I read does not include either of HRC’s run for the Oval.

P.S. I truly hope that this will not continue to be an issue in the coming elections but I’m looking forward to the next election cycle so that I can keep an eye out for these biases and report them!!!

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially read and reviewed the first edition of this book. This version includes a new chapter analyzing media coverage of the 2008 Clinton-Obama Democratic primary, which took place shortly after the first edition had come out. All analysis is drawn straight from primary-sourced data as opposed to anecdotal evidence.

And yes, in full disclosure, I am the author's spouse, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a darned important piece of academic literature that fans of nonfiction can nonetheless enjoy.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not a carpet-bagging piece of academic publishing seeking to capitalize on current events... the research and analysis were undertaken far in advance of the current Clinton-Obama media bias kerfuffle. The present anecdotal discussions are intriguing, but if you want real logistical insight on these issues Dr. Falk has analyzed 130+ years of press coverage of women presidential candidates. Her book provides a wealth of statistical data (as opposed to anecdotal offerings) to lay plain the disadvantage women have suffered and continue to suffer in their campaigns. Falk's research is extensive, but the book is nonetheless a brisk read (check out the chapter, "Baking Muffins and Bombing Countries"), and concludes with a strong series of recommendations to women candidates for overcoming the bias handicap. If you really want to appreciate the dynamics of the 2008 presidential election, you need to buy (and read) this book!

[Sgilbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, but very disappointing. It read like a textbook or an article filled with stats. Where were the stories about these women?