TRAVERSE - Journal of Language and Applied Linguistics
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026): Journal of Language and Applied Linguistics July 2026 (ON GOING)

Representation of Indonesian Women Political Figures in Online Media during the 2014 and 2024 Elections: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Rizky Tazkiyatul Ummami (Universitas Pamulang, Indonesia)
Ratna Juwitasari Emha (Universitas Pamulang, Indonesia)
Abdul Aziz (Universitas Pamulang, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study examines how Indonesian women political figures are represented in online news media during the 2014 and 2024 general elections and identifies the discursive strategies used to construct their political identities across the two periods. Grounded in Fairclough’s (1995, 2010) three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis and complemented by van Leeuwen’s (2008) social actor representation framework, this qualitative diachronic study analyzes purposively selected news excerpts from Kompas.com, Detik.com, and Tempo.co that feature three prominent figures, Puan Maharani, Tri Rismaharini, and Khofifah Indar Parawansa. Data were manually coded at the textual, discursive, and social-practice levels and compared thematically across the two election years. The findings show that women political figures are represented through four dominant identities – political leader, professional politician, moral figure, and gendered public figure – constructed through five discursive strategies: conflict, performance, gender-based, moral-religious, and achievement framing. While performance- and achievement-oriented framing became more visible over the decade, traces of gender-based representation persisted, indicating an ongoing negotiation between professional political identity and patriarchal cultural expectations. The study concludes that Indonesian online media continue to shape political legitimacy through lexical, transitivity, and framing choices that are simultaneously progressive and gendered, and recommends broader comparative and multimodal research. Practically, the study offers online news media, gender-advocacy organizations, and political communication practitioners a concrete diachronic benchmark for auditing how women political figures are framed, informing more balanced, gender-sensitive reporting guidelines.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

traverse

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

Journal of Language and Applied Linguistics (TRAVERSE) is a journal aims to be a peer-reviewed platform and an authoritative source of information. We publish original research papers, review articles and case studies focused on language teaching, learning and applied linguistics context. The scope ...