The woven gender: made for a woman, but stronger for a man

This paper will analyze the construction of gender in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election for the two primary candidates—Ann Richards and George W. Bush. This analysis invites two conclusions: The gender identities constructed for both Ann Richards and George W. Bush entailed a combination of traditionally masculine and feminine images and themes, as well as an articulation of particularly “feminist” issues. The result was the construction of a woven gender both rhetorically useful and increasingly utilized by both sexes in mediated politics.