Who takes care of the children? The presentation of female top politicians in the media

The essay reflects on the media representation commonly associates with women politicians. Starting with a critique of media coverage about some political leaders in several countries, such as Angela Merkel, Michelle Bachelet, Ségolène Royal, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Hillary Clinton, the paper discusses the phenomenon of the double bind to which women are subjected in politics: if a woman presents herself as being cool, calculating and aggressive as it is expected in the political business she risks to be rejected as a virago. If she recommends herself with allegedly female traits, she will be regarded as not being viable for the serious challenges of the political business. There is no easy formula for how women should represent themselves. Since there are only few opportunities for direct contact between politicians and the electorate, it is necessary to deal with public image reported by media