Eureka! Institutional Repository

This paper investigates gender stereotypes in printed political advertisements of male MP candidates in the first electoral district of Thessaloniki between 1993 and 2007. The study answers the following questions: (a) what is the frequency of appearance of gender stereotypes in advertisements of MP candidates? and (b) what are the changes in the frequency of appearance of these stereotypes during the investigated time span? The research was carried out in ten daily national and local newspapers. The categories of gender stereotypes were drawn from three literature streams including commercial advertising, gender stereotypes in politics, and political communication. The research questions of the study were addressed following the content analysis methodology. The results of the study showed that, as in commercial advertising, the predominant stereotype in political advertising in the investigated period was that of the successful politician. There was a definite change in the predominant stereotypes over the course of the period, with a gradual shift towards stereotypes that were closer to the new portrayals of ‘today’s man’.