Gendered Mediation: Identity and Image Making in Canadian Politics

Despite decades of women’s participation in politics, the gender identities of Canadian politicians continue to attract media and public attention and shape the way they are perceived and evaluated. Gendered Mediation takes an original approach to the study of gender and political communication by examining the implications of intersecting notions of gender, sexuality, race, age, and class deployed by politicians, journalists, and citizens in Canadian politics. Building upon the gendered mediation thesis, leading scholars argue that political communication and reporting still reinforces impressions of politics as a masculine domain. Their findings have profound implications for democracy not only in Canada but also for democratic political systems elsewhere.

Angelia Wagner is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Joanna Everitt is professor of political science at University of New Brunswick Saint John.