Neoliberalism and News Representations of Women: A Comparative Study of Egyptian and New Zealand Online News Sites

The thesis explores the impact of the political economy of neoliberalism on representations of women in online news media. It compares representations of women in Egypt’s and New Zealand’s commercial and community-funded news sites. Despite the cultural differences between the two countries, the thesis shows that similar neoliberal narratives persist in their mainstream online news representations of women, such as the empowerment narratives that camouflage women’s vulnerable position in the neoliberal hierarchy of power. The thesis concludes that although there is room for alternative narratives about women in community-funded news media in both countries, financial constraints make such projects unsustainable.