Journal Articles

Is family a moral capital resource for female politicians? The case of ABC’s Commander in Chief

---

Being perceived as family-engaged is assumed to benefit politicians, augmenting moral capital they can trade for votes and power. Moral capital benefits of family engagement are particularly salient for male politicians, whose relationship to family generally invokes responsibility and strength. Is family engagement a moral capital resource for female politicians, whose stereotypical associations with family invoke dependency and support? This manuscript examines the fictional television series Commander in Chief, the first to seriously engage the issue of a female US president, juxtaposing her political life with her domestic life as a working wife and mother. Analysis of gender stereotypes deployed in the family narrative suggests that family engagement may not represent a moral capital resource for this fictional female politician, undermining the audience’s ability to see her as moral capital-worthy in the political sphere. Application is made to actual female politicians in the United States.

---

Availability

No copy data

Detail Information

Series Title

Media Culture Society

Call Number

-

Publisher

Thousand Oak : sage publisher., 2011

Collation

-

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

01634437

Classification

-

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

Vol. 33 no. 2, March 2011,pp. 223-241

Subject(s)

Gender
Family
Women in politics
Gender Stereotypes
Is family a moral capital resource for female

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

-

Other version/related

File Attachment

Comments

---

You must be logged in to post a comment