General election coverage has been dominated by male voices, according to researchers from Loughborough University.
Academics from the university’s Centre for Research in Communication and Culture have conducted news audits for every general election since 1992. They analyse TV coverage from BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky’s evening news bulletins, plus print reporting by the UK’s broadsheet and tabloid newspapers.
Since campaigning began on 30 May, only seven of the top 20 most prominent figures in election coverage have been women. In the past week, that figure fell to six.
Where did I say that? All I’m saying is that while the problem that women are underrepresented in politics is a real problem and we should elect more women, since women’s issues also are usually underrepresented, we shouldn’t elect or even cover people because of what’s between their legs.
The Thatcher thing is that for example if the choice is between US Jewish Space Lasers Lady (just so that it’s not the same person again) and her opponent, “voting for the woman” might get you an opposite effect that you expect on for example women’s rights or the over all sanity of politics.
There are a ton of great women in politics, like Sanna Marin, elect more of them. But elect them because of their work, not their genitalia.