Gender Lens Within Political Communication: Analysing Political Reportage in Leading Indian English National Dailies

In the era of information explosion, politics remains strongly under media scrutiny, and voters rely extensively on the media for political information. This study examines whether gender inequality exists in the political coverage of leading Indian English national dailies and how male and female politicians are represented during election reporting. Using a mixed-method content analysis, the study analyses political news published in The Times of India and Hindustan Times from 9 April to 30 April 2024, covering the period before and during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Purposive sampling was used to select the two newspapers on the basis of circulation and national prominence. The unit of analysis comprised all political stories published during the reference period. The findings reveal significant gender-based differences in media visibility and framing. Women politicians received less prominent placement, with most stories appearing on inside pages, whereas male politicians were more frequently covered on front pages. Female politicians were more often associated with relational, emotional, and identity-based narratives, while male politicians were framed through leadership, competence, confidence, and electoral viability. The coverage of certain women politicians, particularly celebrity-backed candidates, was also sensationalised. The study concludes that despite the democratic importance of elections, print journalism continues to reproduce unequal gendered power relations within political communication. These findings contribute to debates on gender representation, media framing, and the role of the press in promoting gender equality in Indian political discourse.