Masculinity and femininity in media representations of party leadership candidates: men 'play the gender card' too

As men continue to dominate in executive office, male leadership remains the norm and has structured how we see leadership. Yet, current understandings of gender bias in political leadership too often refer to bias against women. To fully understand gender's role in political leadership, it is vital to remember that 'men have a gender too'. Accordingly, this article provides an inter- and intra-sex comparison of the media coverage both male and female leadership candidates running for party leadership in the UK. The results show how the leadership environment was gendered for both men and women. Gendering is found in nuanced gendered framings which worked for and against both men and women running for party leadership in the UK. Furthermore, both male and female candidates 'played the gender card' when negotiating the gendered norms of leadership, using their gender in their campaign imagery. The results beg key questions on the conscious use of gender in candidate strategy and the possible effect on voters.