Leiden University Student Repository

Leeuwen, Julia van (2019)

Women and the White House: Gender Politics in the American Presidency as Represented in Popular Culture

Master thesis | Literary Studies (MA)

This thesis examines the representation of female Presidents of the United States in popular culture. This thesis asks how these fictional depictions relate to the cultural understanding of the actual office, and in particular how the characterization of these female Presidents reflects and challenges the public perception of the presidency as a masculine institution. To this end this thesis investigates Commander in Chief's portrayal of President Mackenzie Allen, State of Affairs’ depiction of President Constance Payton and House of Cards’ characterization of President Claire Hale Underwood with a focus on the presidents’ rise to power, their marriages and modes of motherhood, their issue competency and crisis management, and their femininity.

Popular culture

American presidency

Female presidents

Gender politics

Commander in Chief

State of Affairs

House of Cards

Author

Leeuwen, Julia van

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Literature in Society

Supervisors

Polak, Sara

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en