A conservative group is concerned that female Republican candidates running in 2010 are facing more media bias and sexism than women who ran in the past.

The Culture and Media Institute's Media Research Council says the media has switched from holding a positive tone during the 1992 elections dominated by Democratic women, to one that puts down conservative women running for office during this year's upcoming elections.

The 1992 election season was dubbed "the year of the woman" by the media. But USA Today recently said that in Congress, "a setback for women is looming."

"Apparently a woman is not a candidate unless she is a Democrat," said CMI managing editor Matt Philbin. "Liberals feel they have cornered the market on womens' issues."

"The idea that I think there will be conservative women in Congress who aren't going to take the liberal party line on abortion, on the definition of marriage, on the idea of the glass ceiling, is something they can't stand," he added. "It's women off the reservation essentially."

More than 100 Republican women are running for seats in the House alone.