Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2020, Communication

Women in the political sector struggle to find their place. Though the number of female representatives has increased in recent years, it has been a slow climb often complicated by the socially prescribed importance of their image to the public eye as represented through media. In the impeachment of President Donald Trump, two female senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, were prominently featured on news coverage outlets. As it is not historically common for female politicians to be at the center of major debates, this case allowed for valuable analysis of how the media portrays women in politics. Through this work, three questions are explored: 1) How did cable news media frame Senators Susan Collins' and Lisa Murkowski's roles in the impeachment process of President Donald Trump? 2) How did Senators Collins and Murkowski frame themselves in their self-representations through the impeachment process? 3) How have Collins and Murkowski engaged in self-representation for their overall identities as senators?

Committee: Sheryl Cunningham (Advisor); Kelly Dillon (Committee Member); Edward Hasecke (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Gender Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2025, Political Science

Women are underrepresented in U.S. politics. This study helps to better understand the media's relationship with gendered politics and the barriers preventing women from being elected to office in the U.S. My research question is, “To what extent are women and men treated differently by news media in political campaigns?” To answer my research question, I analyze the 13 U.S. Senate races from 2022 in which a man and a woman ran against each other and compare the news media associated with these campaigns. This research serves to help women running in political campaigns better understand how they might be perceived. Overall, the findings in this study are promising for women looking to run for political office. This will help to knock down the media barrier that deters women from wanting to enter politics.

Committee: Karen Beckwith (Committee Chair); Girma Parris (Committee Member); Pete Moore (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Gender Studies; Political Science

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2022, Organizational Leadership

Even though women comprise more than 51% of the population of the United States, they still only represent approximately one quarter of the primary political representation in the country. High profile campaigns by female candidates in recent years have served to spotlight some of the gender-related barriers that still exist today. The scrutiny of the candidates and campaigns of Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin and, more recently, Kamala Harris, give evidence of the disparities that exist between the treatment of male and female candidates by the public and the media. Even though women have had political power via their right to vote for just over a century, there are still gender-related barriers that exist as women strive to take a more active and representative role in the political arena. This thesis hypothesizes that men and women differ in the biases experienced in political campaigning. An e-mail survey was sent out to a number of individuals who had held or campaigned for political office in three Ohio counties. The top three campaign barriers identified collectively by survey respondents were difficulties meeting constituents and connecting with voters, funding and fundraising, and challenges associated with political party identification and lack of party support for some candidates. While the objective of the survey was primarily intended to identify and investigate gender-related barriers experienced by local candidates, results served to highlight some barriers that were common to all candidates and were therefore not uniquely gender-related. Although some common barriers clearly existed, the challenges presented by those common barriers appear to have been increased for female candidates. Biases mentioned by female survey respondents included traditional gender role expectations, particularly the “mother” role, biases associated with physical appearance and fashion choices, lack of political party support, and campaign finance and funding issues.

Committee: Wendy Wells (Advisor); James Allan (Committee Member); Katie Warber (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science; Womens Studies

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Arts and Sciences: Communication

This thesis uses a frame analysis method to demonstrate how women in politics communicate motherhood in their political speeches. In the political context of women being largely underrepresented in United States' politics for most of its history and in a larger social context of gender discrimination in our society, this study helps shed light on the communication of societal acceptable feminine role of motherhood by female politicians. Through the theoretical framework of Feminist Standpoint Theory and literature on women in politics, I use the framing analysis to add to this literature. Using a framing analysis method, I demonstrate that the women consistently use frames of 'Mother's Wisdom', 'Responsibility for Our Children', and 'Support for Motherhood Political Policies' with the intent to gain common ground and competency with voters. These frames led to larger political implications of essentializing the mother's experience and duplicating paternalistic politics. As a contribution to the field of Communication, this frame analysis features a unique look at the implications and restrictions that assist in the development of women in politics' standpoints as a marginalized group in US politics.

Committee: Zhuo Ban Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Gail Fairhurst Ph.D. (Committee Member); Nancy Jennings Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy