Gender-Based Functional Analysis of Political Communication in the 2024 Tegal Mayoral Election Debate
Keywords: Tegal Regional Elections, Content Analysis, Gender in Politic
Abstract
This study is motivated by the importance of understanding the dynamics of campaign messages in local political debates involving multi-candidates from a gender perspective. This study aims to analyze the functional content of the candidates' political communication and the influence of gender on message substance in the 2024 Tegal Regional Election (Pilkada) Debate. Utilizing a quantitative content analysis method, 435 message units were codified based on William L. Benoit’s Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse. Frequency results indicate that debate messages are heavily dominated by Acclaims (60.2%) and Policy issues (88.5%). Crosstabulation (Chi-Square) testing proves that both male and female candidates share similar strategic tendencies in dominating policy sub-topics through Future Plans rather than Past Deeds. However, a significant difference emerged regarding character issues (p = 0,035), where male candidates dominated Character discussions, while female candidates completely avoided them. In conclusion, gender does not affect message functions, but significantly influences the inclination to touch upon personal spheres. This study contributes to enriching the empirical literature on gendered political communication within the context of local election contests in Indonesia.
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