Framing Gender on the Campaign Trail: Female Gubernatorial Candidates and the Press

Daily newspaper reporters in 1998 treated female and male gubernatorial candidates equitably in terms of the quantity of coverage. However, newspaper readers were more likely to read about a female candidate's personal traits, such as her appearance or personality, than those of a male candidate. By contrast, they were more likely to read about a male candidate's stand or record on public policy issues than about a female candidate's. Some of these differences disappeared after examining campaigns individually. Results indicate that differences in coverage were due to stories written by male reporters who covered gubernatorial campaigns.