A NEW MODEL/ANTI-MODEL OF WOMAN POLITICIAN
PROF.UNIV.DR. DANIELA ROVENTA-FRUMUSANI
LECT.UNIV.DR. ADRIANA STEFANEL
Women, Power, Leadership : Engendering social change through discursive empowerment of female politicians at the top
International Workshop, Perugia, Italy, 11-12 October 2012
The communist period: double burden
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Women: the stars of communist propaganda
The heroizing of women that practice traditional manly
professions, from heavy industry and mining to surgery and
experimental science; but also the abortion legalization, the
brutal secularization of marriage and encouragement –almost
irresponsible – of the divorce process (Petre, Z. in Boia, L.,
2005,259)
http://www.frontpress.ro/2011/08/imaginea-sirolul-femeii-in-perioada-comunista.html
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http://life.hotnews.ro/stiri-prin_oras-10701184emanciparea-femeilor-primii-ani-regimului-comunist-dinromania.htm
The political participation of women was nothing but
rhetorical. In fact, women politicians used to be employed in
‘soft areas’ and at the bottom of the political hierarchy
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Women politicians in post-communist Romania
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The changes brought up by the Romanian revolution in 1989 acted in fact, not in spirit, against
women’s political involvement. The pro-women involvement discourse was labeled as a
communist residue and any attempt to enforce a men/women balance in politics remained
fruitless.
Chamber of Deputies
Senate
Parliament
women
%
total
women
%
total
women
%
total
1990-1992
18
4,71
382
2
1,56
128
20
3,92
510
1992-1996
11
3,22
341
5
3,20
156
16
3,21
497
1996-2000
21
6,122
343
2
1,29
154
23
4,62
497
2000-2004
29
8,50
341
10
6,13
163
39
7,73
504
2004-2008
27
8,10
333
13
9,28
140
40
8,45
473
2008-prezent
33
9,90
333
10
7,29
137
43
9,14
470
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
First decade: politics as boy’s club
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First two nominees in The Council of The Salvation Front (CFSN) were
women; both resign in less than a month
http://www.pagina
deiasi.ro/un-liberaladevarat/
http://blog.serialreaders.com/2010/10/ana-blandiana-esteinvitata-festivalului-international-de-poezie-shaar-de-la-tel-aviv/
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1989-1996: 5 out of 40 women in CFSN; none in The Executive
Office; none in the Government; 20 out of 510 in Parliament
1996-2000: 2 women in Senate, 23 in the Deputy Chamber
In the entire period only 2 women minister ( Daniela Bartos for 4
month, Smaranda Dobrescu 1 year)
http://www.taifasuri.ro/taifasuri/sanatat
e/1969-doctor-daniela-bartos-calduraaccentueaza-afectiunile-cardiace.html
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
http://arhiva.curentul.ro:81/2
003/curentul.php?numar=200
31219&art=42421
The second decade: the multiplication of feminine voices

The process of integration in UE influence women participation in Romanian politics but not the
way they are treated (both by male politicians and by the media)
At the end of the year, a newspaper published a half a page of heavy questions addressed to
male politicians; and an other half, named From the Chamber (of Deputy, our note) to the
Kitchen in which we, the parliamentarian women, were ask for coking recipes (Rodica Stanoiu ,
Minister of Justice in Adrian Nastase’s Govern interview in Popescu, L., 2008 p.113)
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Possible explanations of the terrible Romanian phallocracy
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social and economic reasons: low access to financial resources and lack of a networks
support
boys network within the parties
media approach angle: in Romanian politics women are not only less visible in relation
to men but also treated by different standards. For men, what it matters is the political
experience, professional expertise and for women the family status and physical
appearance. (Roventa-Frumusani, D.,in Dragomir, O. et Miroiu, M., coord, 2002)
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Preliminary observation:

In the mediated Romanian politics, women are not only less visible than men, but also treated
by different standards. For a man, the Procustean bed is the expertise; for women the
essentials lay in the family status and attractiveness. For the young ones, there are romance
stories to be told, while the older ones must settle with the cast of the evil witches, or reject
their womanhood.
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012

In most cases, media (re)create a
romance (storytelling techniques) which
link the political woman’s name with the
name of a well-know/powerful man.
http://baricada.wordpress.com/page/85/?pages-list
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
A new model/anti-model of woman politician


Cancan and show exaggeration leads to
a quasi-exclusion of women from serious
political debate or (perverse effect)
causes women to resort to alternative
strategies to capture attention (pseudo
events focused on femininity and not on
competence, glossy photographical
presence).
This distorted pattern of the woman
politician tend to generalize and
cannibalizing the other models, which
bear away the women who do not fit in
the model and reinforce the gender
stereotypes.
Evz 10.11.2021, arhiva proprie
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Case study: Elena Udrea
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Sursa foto:
1.
Sesiune foto The one, arhivă proprie
2.
http://ziarpiatraneamt.ro/elena-udrea-esteprim-ministru/
3.
Conferinta de presa, captura tv, arhivă proprie
4.
Emisiune Acasa tv, captura tv, arhivă proprie
The followers:

Elena Udrea is a model of politician which is imposing in Romanian politics, at any level,
crossing political-party limits and cannibalize other models
Sursa foto:
1. http://www.rtv.net/noua-elena-udrea-a-cabinetului-ungureanu-galerie-foto_14649.html
2. http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/botosani/Botosani-_Politista_sexycurtata_de_politicieni_0_385761733.html
3. Arhivă proprie
5. Fluturas de campanie, arhivă proprie
6. http://www.citynights.ro/stiri/noua-udrea-e-bruneta
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Our contribution to the project:

Quantitative media analysis:
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
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The imagine of male/female politicians in the media
The self-presentation of women politicians. The impact of successful model of
women politician in the self-presentation of Romanian women politicians
Gender stereotypes.
Quantitative and qualitative analysis:

The public perception of women politicians.

The public need for the enforce of a men/women balance in Romanian politics

The women politicians perception of the gender asymmetry of Romanian
democracy
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012
Selective bibliography:
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Dobos, Corina (coord) 2010 Politica pronatilista a regimului Ceausescu. O perspectiva comparativă [The Prolife Politics of Ceausescu’s Regime. A Comparative Analysis] ed. Polirom
Dragomir, Otilia, Miroiu, Mihaela(coord) 2002 Femei, cuvinte şi imagini [Women, Words and Imagines] ed.
Polirom
Gubin, Eliane; Jacques Catherine; Rochefort Florence; Studer Brigitte; Thebaud Francoise ; Zancarini-Fournel
Michelle, 2004- Le siècle des féminismes, Paris,Editions de l’Atelier
Kerbrat-Orecchioni, C., 1996 La conversation, Seuil
Miroiu, Mihaela (coord) 2002 Lexicon feminist [Feminist lexicon] ed. Polirom
Petre Zoie 2005 Promovarea femeii sau despre destructurarea sexului feminin [The Promotion of Women or
Abou the Destructuration of Feminity] in Miturile comunismului romanesc [The Miths of Romanian
Communism], coord Lucian Boia ed. Humanitas
Philips, Anne 1995, The Politics of Presence ,New York, Oxford University Press
Philips, Anne, 1998 (ed) Feminism and Politics, New York, Oxford University Press
Popescu, Liliana 1999 Gen si politica. Femeile din Romania in viata publica [Gender and Politics. The Romanian
Women in the Public Sphere] ed. Meta Graphos
Roventa-Frumusani, Daniela; Stefanel Adriana 2011 Identite narrative et identite discursive des fammes
politiques roumaines in Cristina Constantopoulou Recites et fictions dans la societe contemporaine, ed.
L'Harmattan
Tremblay, Manon, 2008, 100 Questions sur les femmes et la politique, Montréal, Remue-Ménage
Van Zoonen, Liesbet (1994), Feminist Media Studies, London, Sage.
Women, Power, Leadership
Perugia, Italy 11-12 October 2012