ABSTRACT
Media coverage of women candidates is crucial in shaping voter perceptions and influencing electoral outcomes. The following paper seeks to analyse the media coverage of the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections through a gender lens, focussing on the visibility and framing of women candidates. Through a comprehensive content analysis of electoral coverage by the press, broadcasting, and online news media sources, the paper unearths a systematic gender bias and sexist narratives underlying the electoral airtime. In pursuit of substantive gender justice and democratic participation, the paper concludes with a call for gender-neutral election coverage practices and the fostering of feminist media literacy among voters.
ABOUT NariShakti@BallotBox
NariShakti@BallotBox is a unique series 3 of Research Briefs published by Mandonna Research Consultants on the key issues and challenges surrounding women and their participation in the Indian General Elections 2024.
India has been gloriously distinguished as the largest democracy in the world. With around 96 crore eligible voters set to decide the trajectory of our nation, it is crucial to acknowledge that the historic gap between male and female voters has significantly decreased over the years. An SBI Research Report (2024) has indicated that the number of female voters is on the rise and will reach the inflexion point by 2029. Projected trends indicate that by 2047, women may outnumber men as voters by 10% (SBI, 2024).
Women’s participation in elections, either as voters or poll contestants, is crucial for the sustainable and equitable development of the country and achieving transformational economic and social changes. However, women continue to be marginalised in election activities, ranging from campaigns to popular perception and from representation to party manifestos.
To this end, the NariShakti@BallotBox series would aim to highlight some of the key aspects and issues at the intersection of the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 and women’s issues. We envision empowering key stakeholders through data-backed research and analysis for further action.
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AUTHORED BY:
Sanika Singh is a 2nd-year Political Science student at Miranda House and a Research Intern at Mandonna.
EDITED BY:
Falguni Mahajan is a Political Science graduate from Lady Shri Ram College for Women and the Founder-CEO of Mandonna.
