The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on Support for Women Candidates

University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI

Investigators

Abstract

This project examines the impact of voter stereotypes on support for women candidates for governor, U.S. House, and U.S. Senate. Previous research has clearly documented the fact that people hold clear political gender stereotypes about the abilities and personalities of women and men candidates in the United States. Yet, we know much less about whether and how these stereotypes shape whether people will actually vote for women candidates or whether they are more likely to choose men. Beyond this general lack of clarity, we also know relatively about whether the level (national v. statewide) and type (legislative v. executive) of office matters to levels of support for women candidates. There are several goals for this project: 1) to examine the impact of gendered attitudes on the fortunes of real candidates in actual elections by employing a random national sample of U.S. adults, 2) to examine the impact of these attitudes, such as political gender stereotypes, alongside other important influences on vote choice, such as political party, incumbency status, and candidate experience, 3) to determine whether people's support for women candidates is dependent, in part, on the level and type of office they seek, 4) to evaluate the attitudes and other factors by comparing races in which a woman runs against a man with those in which both candidates are men, and 4) to expand our measures of gender attitudes. This project represents a significant advancement in the state of our knowledge about the opportunities for women candidates. The range of topics addressed in this project will have appeal across several cognate disciplines, including political science, sociology, psychology, and gender studies. Undergraduate and graduate students will gain valuable research experience by working on this project. Finally, the project will have an impact in the world beyond academia. As the number of women candidates increases, journalists and political commentators seek information on how to evaluate the role of gender in American politics.