Through the media lens. Women activities in Italian politics

Everywhere, the gender gap is an expression of the imbalance in the representation of women involved in politics and in gender issues in the media. Several studies show that the representation of gender politics tends to reproduce a very stereotyped public image of women, which emphasizes more their personal features than their political skills. In contrast, female activism in social media produces interesting networking experiences and innovative initiatives with many followers. Starting with a general assessment of the data, this contribution discusses the under-representation and misrepresentation in Italy of female politicians and gender policies in Italy, focusing on the profiles of selected women and on specific media strategies adopted to place gender issues on the public agenda.