Blair Williams | The Australian National University (original) (raw)

Papers by Blair Williams

Politics & Gender, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has undermined the division between the private sphere of the home and the ... more The COVID-19 pandemic has undermined the division between the private sphere of the home and the public sphere of politics that has traditionally disadvantaged women political leaders. Whereas male political leaders historically drew on their traditional role as the male head of household to display forms of masculine protectionism toward citizens, women leaders are now able to draw on their traditional motherly role—for example, as the member of the household who traditionally cares for the sick—to display forms of feminine protectionism. As a result, international women leaders have managed to leverage women's role in the home to their advantage in the political sphere. Significantly, an appreciation of traditionally feminine attributes in women political leaders has been displayed in much media coverage, providing more favorable coverage of female political leaders than was previously the case.

Gender, Politics, News, 2017

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

Australia's first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny... more Australia's first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny in the media coverage of her ascension. Only a decade previously New Zealand's first elected woman prime minister, Helen Clark, rose to the top job with comparably little gendered coverage. This article compares how the print media portrayed Gillard and Clark in the first three weeks of their respective prime ministerial terms to understand why, despite both being leaders from centre-left Labor/Labour parties, there was such a significant difference in their media treatment. Three newspapers from each country were analysed using a feminist content analysis, in addition to interviews conducted with Gillard and Clark, to understand why this was the case. This study establishes that there were two key reasons: the political context in which both leaders ascended and the stark differences in the print media landscapes, particularly the conservatism of the Australian press.

Double Disillusion: The 2016 Australian Federal Election, 2018

Women politicians have historically experienced and continue to experience gendered and misogynis... more Women politicians have historically experienced and continue to experience gendered and misogynistic coverage in the mainstream print media. This is visible above all in an undue media focus on their gender, appearance and personal lives that serves to delegitimise and trivialise their political careers. This dissertation aims to interrogate the origins and implications of such coverage for women prime ministers in Westminster-style democracies, and to demonstrate the central role that the media plays in the upholding of gender norms. As such, it is guided by a central question: how do the mainstream print media produce and reinforce gender norms in their coverage of women political leaders? Several sub-questions flow from this inquiry, including: How do the media construct gendered representations, and does this change across countries and over time? Do gendered representations differ in accordance with the political affiliation of the leader and newspaper? To address these questions, I examined print media coverage of the respective prime ministerial ascensions of the United Kingdom's Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, Australia's Julia Gillard, and New Zealand's Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark, analysing a representative sample of 1039 mainstream newspaper articles published during the first three weeks of each leader's prime ministerial term. I used feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA), feminist content analysis (FCA) and visual analysis to deconstruct and understand how and why the media rely on gender norms and stereotypes. I also interviewed former prime ministers Helen Clark and Julia Gillard, adhering to a feminist interviewing approach to gain a personal perspective and original insight into this phenomenon. On the basis of the research findings I developed a framework of 'gendered tropes', encompassing five significant themes found in the media coverage of women political leaders. The ix gendered tropes are: gender and femininity; appearance; family; first names; and comparisons to Thatcher. Each of these encompasses many 'sub-tropes', themes and metaphors that together serve to emphasise gender norms and thereby reinforce the existing gender order. I also found that the political spectrum was of relevance, as the conservative press generally rely on gendered tropes more frequently and more intensely than their progressive counterparts, especially with reference to progressive leaders. Finally, I show that gendered reportage differs over time, with recent leaders experiencing more gendered and misogynistic coverage than their predecessors, reflecting an increase in the personalisation of politics. Through these main findings, this dissertation opens up various avenues for discussion and exploration of the phenomenon of gendered media, and increases our understanding of a problem that not only affects women politicians and political leaders, but all women. x

Australian Journal of Biography and History, 2021

As women have become more visible in the Australian political sphere, the volume of writing about... more As women have become more visible in the Australian political sphere, the volume of writing about their lives, careers and experiences has also increased. This has brought to light certain challenges and shortcomings, as well as enduring discursive biases in the existing literature. Political history, for example, and especially political biography, has generally ‘privileged the political activities of men and masculine political institutions’, telling the stories of so-called Great Men while excluding those who do not traditionally belong to this cohort.1 Any attempt to summarise the current state of biographies written on Australian political women and to assess the extent to which these can be improved must therefore address several overlapping lines of inquiry, the four most fundamental of which have been chosen for discussion in this article. First, I will provide an overview of the institutional and discursive masculine biases of political biographies in general. Second, I wil...

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

Australia’s first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny... more Australia’s first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny in the media coverage of her ascension. Only a decade previously New Zealand’s first elected woman prime minister, Helen Clark, rose to the top job with comparably little gendered coverage. This article compares how the print media portrayed Gillard and Clark in the first three weeks of their respective prime ministerial terms to understand why, despite both being leaders from centre-left Labor/Labour parties, there was such a significant difference in their media treatment. Three newspapers from each country were analysed using a feminist content analysis, in addition to interviews conducted with Gillard and Clark, to understand why this was the case. This study establishes that there were two key reasons: the political context in which both leaders ascended and the stark differences in the print media landscapes, particularly the conservatism of the Australian press.

Parliamentary Affairs, 2020

This article compares how the print media portrayed Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May in the firs... more This article compares how the print media portrayed Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May in the first three weeks of their respective prime ministerial terms. Examining the similarities and differences between the media coverage of the two leaders, who ascended to the prime ministerial role almost 40 years apart, helps us understand how mainstream media coverage concentrates on the gendered differences of women political leaders from the masculine leadership norm. Seven major daily newspapers were examined, using feminist content analysis and feminist critical discourse analysis. The study revealed that, contrary
to expectations, not only was there more attention to May’s gender than to Thatcher’s, but it was also more detailed and elaborate, particularly in the conservative press.

Australian Journal of Political Science, 2017

In contemporary Australian politics, challenges to the Prime Ministerial role have become more co... more In contemporary Australian politics, challenges to the Prime
Ministerial role have become more common. Australia saw five
Prime Ministers from 2010 to 2015 including Australia’s first ever
woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. A stark contrast is evident in
media portrayals of Gillard and her male counterparts, apparent
most recently in the response to Malcolm Turnbull’s ascension to
the Prime Ministership. A range of evidence has been produced,
in disciplines including political science and media studies,
suggesting the existence of systemic gender bias in the
mainstream media in English-speaking democracies. This article is
the first to compare the media portrayals of Gillard and Turnbull’s
respective ascensions to leadership, which it does drawing on
Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity and using a
content and discourse analysis. It contributes further evidence of
gender bias in the coverage of political leaders.

Book Reviews by Blair Williams

Book Chapters by Blair Williams

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Helen Clark became New Zealand's first elected woman prime minister after winning the 1999 Federa... more Helen Clark became New Zealand's first elected woman prime minister after winning the 1999 Federal Election against then‐Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. In power from 1999 to 2008, Clark is renowned for being one of the longest‐serving prime ministers in New Zealand, as well as one of the longest‐serving women leaders elected in a “Western” democracy. Her electoral success and extensive time as prime minister provide an ideal opportunity for analyses of gendered media coverage, from her political career and time as Labour leader through to her election loss in 2008. Consequently, there is ample academic literature examining Clark's gendered media coverage. Key themes in the literature on Clark's gendered media coverage will be explored, with a large focus on the gendered reportage of Clark's ascension and subsequent elections, her “masculine” leadership style, and her sexualization.

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Julia Gillard rose to the prime ministerial role in 2010 by challenging then‐sitting Prime Minist... more Julia Gillard rose to the prime ministerial role in 2010 by challenging then‐sitting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. As a result of the way that she ascended to the position, she experienced widespread media criticism that was unprecedented in its gendered and sexist tone. Such gendered and often negative coverage continued through the remainder of her term. Considering her relatively short three‐year tenure, there is ample literature written about Gillard's time as Australia's first woman prime minister, focusing in particular on the amount of sexism and vilification she endured from her opponents, the media, and the public. Key themes in this literature include the reportage of her prime ministerial ascension, the 2010 Federal Election, and her famous “Misogyny Speech.”

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Margaret Thatcher became the “Western world's” first woman prime minister when she won the 1979 U... more Margaret Thatcher became the “Western world's” first woman prime minister when she won the 1979 UK General Election. A controversial figure—partly because of her status as the longest‐serving British prime minister of the 20th century, her distinction as the first woman to fulfill this role, and notoriety surrounding her policies and philosophy—she was renowned for seamlessly shifting between feminine and masculine personas, often displaying both sets of gender traits at the same time. As a result, widespread mainstream media attention focused on her having both feminine and masculine attributes, particularly her image as a stereotypical housewife and “Iron Lady.” However, relatively little research has examined the ways in which the media covered her leadership period. Particular attention will be paid toward research that examines Thatcher's gendered media coverage, focusing on media depictions of her femininity and masculinity, her sexualization, the relationship between her self‐constructed image and the media, and television parodies.

Double Disillusion: The 2016 Australian Federal Election, 2018

In 2016, the Coalition's proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage became a significant issue in t... more In 2016, the Coalition's proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage became a significant issue in the election and there was also a record number of openly gay candidates. For the first time, Labor had a rainbow policy launch, targeted at the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) community. The Coalition lacked a similar policy launch or formal rainbow network, but increased its number of openly gay parliamentarians and overtook Labor in terms of LGBTI representation.

Politics & Gender, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has undermined the division between the private sphere of the home and the ... more The COVID-19 pandemic has undermined the division between the private sphere of the home and the public sphere of politics that has traditionally disadvantaged women political leaders. Whereas male political leaders historically drew on their traditional role as the male head of household to display forms of masculine protectionism toward citizens, women leaders are now able to draw on their traditional motherly role—for example, as the member of the household who traditionally cares for the sick—to display forms of feminine protectionism. As a result, international women leaders have managed to leverage women's role in the home to their advantage in the political sphere. Significantly, an appreciation of traditionally feminine attributes in women political leaders has been displayed in much media coverage, providing more favorable coverage of female political leaders than was previously the case.

Gender, Politics, News, 2017

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

Australia's first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny... more Australia's first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny in the media coverage of her ascension. Only a decade previously New Zealand's first elected woman prime minister, Helen Clark, rose to the top job with comparably little gendered coverage. This article compares how the print media portrayed Gillard and Clark in the first three weeks of their respective prime ministerial terms to understand why, despite both being leaders from centre-left Labor/Labour parties, there was such a significant difference in their media treatment. Three newspapers from each country were analysed using a feminist content analysis, in addition to interviews conducted with Gillard and Clark, to understand why this was the case. This study establishes that there were two key reasons: the political context in which both leaders ascended and the stark differences in the print media landscapes, particularly the conservatism of the Australian press.

Double Disillusion: The 2016 Australian Federal Election, 2018

Women politicians have historically experienced and continue to experience gendered and misogynis... more Women politicians have historically experienced and continue to experience gendered and misogynistic coverage in the mainstream print media. This is visible above all in an undue media focus on their gender, appearance and personal lives that serves to delegitimise and trivialise their political careers. This dissertation aims to interrogate the origins and implications of such coverage for women prime ministers in Westminster-style democracies, and to demonstrate the central role that the media plays in the upholding of gender norms. As such, it is guided by a central question: how do the mainstream print media produce and reinforce gender norms in their coverage of women political leaders? Several sub-questions flow from this inquiry, including: How do the media construct gendered representations, and does this change across countries and over time? Do gendered representations differ in accordance with the political affiliation of the leader and newspaper? To address these questions, I examined print media coverage of the respective prime ministerial ascensions of the United Kingdom's Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, Australia's Julia Gillard, and New Zealand's Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark, analysing a representative sample of 1039 mainstream newspaper articles published during the first three weeks of each leader's prime ministerial term. I used feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA), feminist content analysis (FCA) and visual analysis to deconstruct and understand how and why the media rely on gender norms and stereotypes. I also interviewed former prime ministers Helen Clark and Julia Gillard, adhering to a feminist interviewing approach to gain a personal perspective and original insight into this phenomenon. On the basis of the research findings I developed a framework of 'gendered tropes', encompassing five significant themes found in the media coverage of women political leaders. The ix gendered tropes are: gender and femininity; appearance; family; first names; and comparisons to Thatcher. Each of these encompasses many 'sub-tropes', themes and metaphors that together serve to emphasise gender norms and thereby reinforce the existing gender order. I also found that the political spectrum was of relevance, as the conservative press generally rely on gendered tropes more frequently and more intensely than their progressive counterparts, especially with reference to progressive leaders. Finally, I show that gendered reportage differs over time, with recent leaders experiencing more gendered and misogynistic coverage than their predecessors, reflecting an increase in the personalisation of politics. Through these main findings, this dissertation opens up various avenues for discussion and exploration of the phenomenon of gendered media, and increases our understanding of a problem that not only affects women politicians and political leaders, but all women. x

Australian Journal of Biography and History, 2021

As women have become more visible in the Australian political sphere, the volume of writing about... more As women have become more visible in the Australian political sphere, the volume of writing about their lives, careers and experiences has also increased. This has brought to light certain challenges and shortcomings, as well as enduring discursive biases in the existing literature. Political history, for example, and especially political biography, has generally ‘privileged the political activities of men and masculine political institutions’, telling the stories of so-called Great Men while excluding those who do not traditionally belong to this cohort.1 Any attempt to summarise the current state of biographies written on Australian political women and to assess the extent to which these can be improved must therefore address several overlapping lines of inquiry, the four most fundamental of which have been chosen for discussion in this article. First, I will provide an overview of the institutional and discursive masculine biases of political biographies in general. Second, I wil...

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

Australia’s first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny... more Australia’s first woman prime minister, Julia Gillard, experienced widespread sexism and misogyny in the media coverage of her ascension. Only a decade previously New Zealand’s first elected woman prime minister, Helen Clark, rose to the top job with comparably little gendered coverage. This article compares how the print media portrayed Gillard and Clark in the first three weeks of their respective prime ministerial terms to understand why, despite both being leaders from centre-left Labor/Labour parties, there was such a significant difference in their media treatment. Three newspapers from each country were analysed using a feminist content analysis, in addition to interviews conducted with Gillard and Clark, to understand why this was the case. This study establishes that there were two key reasons: the political context in which both leaders ascended and the stark differences in the print media landscapes, particularly the conservatism of the Australian press.

Parliamentary Affairs, 2020

This article compares how the print media portrayed Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May in the firs... more This article compares how the print media portrayed Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May in the first three weeks of their respective prime ministerial terms. Examining the similarities and differences between the media coverage of the two leaders, who ascended to the prime ministerial role almost 40 years apart, helps us understand how mainstream media coverage concentrates on the gendered differences of women political leaders from the masculine leadership norm. Seven major daily newspapers were examined, using feminist content analysis and feminist critical discourse analysis. The study revealed that, contrary
to expectations, not only was there more attention to May’s gender than to Thatcher’s, but it was also more detailed and elaborate, particularly in the conservative press.

Australian Journal of Political Science, 2017

In contemporary Australian politics, challenges to the Prime Ministerial role have become more co... more In contemporary Australian politics, challenges to the Prime
Ministerial role have become more common. Australia saw five
Prime Ministers from 2010 to 2015 including Australia’s first ever
woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. A stark contrast is evident in
media portrayals of Gillard and her male counterparts, apparent
most recently in the response to Malcolm Turnbull’s ascension to
the Prime Ministership. A range of evidence has been produced,
in disciplines including political science and media studies,
suggesting the existence of systemic gender bias in the
mainstream media in English-speaking democracies. This article is
the first to compare the media portrayals of Gillard and Turnbull’s
respective ascensions to leadership, which it does drawing on
Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity and using a
content and discourse analysis. It contributes further evidence of
gender bias in the coverage of political leaders.

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Helen Clark became New Zealand's first elected woman prime minister after winning the 1999 Federa... more Helen Clark became New Zealand's first elected woman prime minister after winning the 1999 Federal Election against then‐Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. In power from 1999 to 2008, Clark is renowned for being one of the longest‐serving prime ministers in New Zealand, as well as one of the longest‐serving women leaders elected in a “Western” democracy. Her electoral success and extensive time as prime minister provide an ideal opportunity for analyses of gendered media coverage, from her political career and time as Labour leader through to her election loss in 2008. Consequently, there is ample academic literature examining Clark's gendered media coverage. Key themes in the literature on Clark's gendered media coverage will be explored, with a large focus on the gendered reportage of Clark's ascension and subsequent elections, her “masculine” leadership style, and her sexualization.

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Julia Gillard rose to the prime ministerial role in 2010 by challenging then‐sitting Prime Minist... more Julia Gillard rose to the prime ministerial role in 2010 by challenging then‐sitting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. As a result of the way that she ascended to the position, she experienced widespread media criticism that was unprecedented in its gendered and sexist tone. Such gendered and often negative coverage continued through the remainder of her term. Considering her relatively short three‐year tenure, there is ample literature written about Gillard's time as Australia's first woman prime minister, focusing in particular on the amount of sexism and vilification she endured from her opponents, the media, and the public. Key themes in this literature include the reportage of her prime ministerial ascension, the 2010 Federal Election, and her famous “Misogyny Speech.”

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Margaret Thatcher became the “Western world's” first woman prime minister when she won the 1979 U... more Margaret Thatcher became the “Western world's” first woman prime minister when she won the 1979 UK General Election. A controversial figure—partly because of her status as the longest‐serving British prime minister of the 20th century, her distinction as the first woman to fulfill this role, and notoriety surrounding her policies and philosophy—she was renowned for seamlessly shifting between feminine and masculine personas, often displaying both sets of gender traits at the same time. As a result, widespread mainstream media attention focused on her having both feminine and masculine attributes, particularly her image as a stereotypical housewife and “Iron Lady.” However, relatively little research has examined the ways in which the media covered her leadership period. Particular attention will be paid toward research that examines Thatcher's gendered media coverage, focusing on media depictions of her femininity and masculinity, her sexualization, the relationship between her self‐constructed image and the media, and television parodies.

Double Disillusion: The 2016 Australian Federal Election, 2018

In 2016, the Coalition's proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage became a significant issue in t... more In 2016, the Coalition's proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage became a significant issue in the election and there was also a record number of openly gay candidates. For the first time, Labor had a rainbow policy launch, targeted at the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) community. The Coalition lacked a similar policy launch or formal rainbow network, but increased its number of openly gay parliamentarians and overtook Labor in terms of LGBTI representation.