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Diversity of Journalisms. Proceedings of ECREA/CICOM Conference, Pamplona, 4-5 July 2011
Gender as a source of diversity in journalism: media coverage during the PREC
period in Portugal (1975/1976)
Batista, Carla
Faculty of Social and Human Sciences - University Nova of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
This paper is part of an ongoing research project called “Feminine Politics – Gender
policies and strategies oriented toward the visibility of female members of Parliament”
(PTDC/CCI-COM/102393/2008).
The project focuses on women’s representation and gender issues in the parliament
throughout three political cycles of the Portuguese democracy, spanning from 1975 to
2002.
The intersection between politics and media is essential to understand how female
parliamentary tried to highlight their specific agendas. The project analyses the extent
of media representation of female Members of Parliament (MPs) within the overall
news coverage of parliamentary activities.
We constructed three historical cycles deemed to have brought significant
developments regarding the participation of women in the political institutions and
within the public sphere, namely: the Ongoing Revolutionary Process or PREC, from
1975 to 1976; Cavaquismo (1985-1995); and Guterrismo (1995-2002).
For the purpose of this paper, we will focus in the PREC period, a phase of
consolidation of the Portuguese democracy and ideological distancing from the rightwing
dictatorship period that preceded it (Estado Novo). The discussion of gender
issues, within the context of the newly acquired equal rights, democracy and freedom,
flourished throughout the years that followed the Revolution of the 25th April and
women started to claim full legitimacy for their own public participation, as they were
empowered to by the newly enacted Constitution of 1976.
Our analyse shows that, despite the new political and social environment, the old
media frames regarding the representation of women, prevailed. Media’s approach to
gender issues were scarce and not a relevant part of the political discussion. Limited
happenings of positive news coverage of female MPs innitiaves contrasted vividly
with an overall journalistic indifference or even hostility regarding gender issues.
Photojournalistic coverage of portuguese women MP’s: the dificult issue of
diversity in two case studies.
Mendes Flores, Teresa
CIMJ - UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
This paper is part of an ongoing research project called “Feminine Politics _ Gender
policies and strategies oriented towards the visibility of female members of Parliament
in Portugal” (PTDC/CCI-COM/102393/2008), funded by Fundação Ciência e
Tecnologia (FCT).
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