Newsroom Narratives and the Gendered Framing of Female Political
Leadership

Shaina Sabharwal

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2025.v10i09.038

Title: Newsroom Narratives and the Gendered Framing of Female Political Leadership
Authors: Shaina Sabharwal
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 10 Issue: 9 Publication Date: September 2025 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2025.v10i09.038
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Shaina Sabharwal The Shri Ram School Moulsari
MLA 8 Sabharwal, Shaina. "Newsroom Narratives and the Gendered Framing of Female Political Leadership." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 10, no. 9, Sept. 2025, pp. 4298-4306, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2025.v10i09.038. Accessed Sept. 2025. APA 6 Sabharwal, S. (2025, September). Newsroom Narratives and the Gendered Framing of Female Political Leadership. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 10(9), 4298-4306. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2025.v10i09.038 Chicago Sabharwal, Shaina. "Newsroom Narratives and the Gendered Framing of Female Political Leadership." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 10, no. 9 (September 2025), 4298-4306. Accessed September, 2025. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2025.v10i09.038.
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ABSTRACT: The media has become one of the largest platforms for news dissemination in the last few decades. It shapes opinions, beliefs, and behaviours of individuals and society (The Power of Media: Shaping Society’s Narrative, 2023) as a whole. It has the power to mobilise the public and drive necessary change. This paper explores how the media circulates gendered narratives about women in politics, oftentimes using frames of emotion, competence and authority. With a comprehensive review of literature and research studies, it examines the stark contrast in representation of male and female politicians in news platforms. From sensational headlines, linguistic contempt, to emphasis on outward appearance, women, to a fault, are underrepresented in every phase of their political journey. Through these news stories, historical bias and gender norms are reinforced, continuing the vicious cycle. News outlets have the power to sway public opinion and shape public perception, which should be used to create a positive image of female politicians, rather than bring them down. This paper aims to call for a collective reconsideration of how women leaders are framed and perceived, emphasising the need for fact-based, unbiased news narratives.

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