Gender and social media campaigning: Opportunities for women candidates to close the gender gap in Dutch politics?

Gender inequality in Dutch politics remains persistent, with men dominating parliament. This study explores whether social media campaigning can help reduce this imbalance by examining how women and men differ in their online campaign strategies and how these differences affect likability on social media and electoral success. Drawing on the concept of trait-balancing, the study analyzes communication styles, issues, and sentiments in tweets from all parliamentary candidates using topic modeling. Results show that while men and women use similar communication styles, women benefit more from social and positive messaging, as well as participation in Q&A interactions—factors that predict higher preference votes. However, these advantages do not offset systemic barriers. The findings suggest that structural factors, such as male-dominated candidate lists and informal party-selection rules, continue to sustain unequal gender representation. Thus, while social media offers opportunities, institutional reform remains essential for achieving gender equality in politics.