Gendered Appeals Online: A Study of Female Candidates' Websites.

When crafting their messages, U.S. representatives must carefully consider the audience they are addressing. Consequently, the messages they emphasize often vary in response to political (i.e. electoral) considerations and constituent characteristics. Overlaying these important political considerations for female members of Congress are voters' gender-based expectations, which may influence the messages representatives choose to communicate. In the past, several scholars found significant gender differences in the extent to which candidates and elected officials emphasize so called "male" and "female" traits and issues. Conversely, a number of recent examinations demonstrate that differences in politicians' messages may be due to factors largely unrelated to gender, indicating that gender may no longer constrain the messages female elected officials emphasize as it once did. This study represents a departure from previous work, much of which has considered the impact of gender either during a campaign or non-campaign period, rarely comparing the two. Relying on a content analysis of U.S. Representatives' official and campaign websites prior to the 2006 election, I find evidence that representatives' choice to adhere to or buck gender stereotypes is influenced by the people (e.g. potential voters, general constituents) they are trying to communicate with. Both women and men tend to play up gender stereotypes more frequently while in the campaign context (on campaign websites), than in their general roles as representatives (on official sites). The implications of these findings for contemporary female elected officials and the literature are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]