Working women vs working mothers: an analysis of Italian newspapers' articles

Abstract

Low female participation in the labor market can be attributed to both structural and cultural challenges that women face as early as when choosing an education path and later when entering the labor market: some examples are child penalties, wage gaps, as well as stereotypes and norms both in family, society, and the workplace. Gender stereotypes and social norms spread in many ways, including social interactions, social media, and newspapers. This thesis aims at analyzing how Italian newspapers talk about working women and working mothers, and whether the change of government in late 2022 influenced the public discourse on these topics. We analyze over 200 articles, over the span of two years, by using a structural topic model to uncover the most common topics that characterize the articles.