We know that the media representation of female political candidates is crucial for women’s future political ambition and participation. If women don’t see other women in the position of power, they are unlikely to imagine these positions for themselves. While their presence in public discourse matters, how female candidates are portrayed is no less important. The research has demonstrated that female candidates are often depicted in a gender-stereotypical way. Men are associated with agentic traits. In contrast, women are ascribed communal characteristics, such as being honest, compassionate, collaborative, and willing to compromise. Many of these traits are generally seen as a disadvantage in the competitive political arena. However, as Funk, Hinojosa and Piscopo (2019) found, under certain political and economic conditions, gendered discourse can benefit female candidates.

I test their theory on the media discourse during the campaign for the Slovak presidential elections in 2009 and 2019, which featured two strong female candidates Iveta Radičová who lost to the male incumbent in the second round and Zuzana Čaputová, who became the president. Using a combination of quantitative text analysis and discourse analysis, I explore the gendered nature of media discourse about these candidates and their challengers. I show that gender-stereotypical depiction could have helped Čaputová, in particular, the emphasis on her honesty amidst unprecedented protests following the murder of an investigative journalist who pointed to corruption scandals linked to high-level politicians. However, stereotypical portrayal could have worked against Radičová, as Slovakia faced severe consequences of the global economic crisis.