If American voters elect Kamala Harris, a black, Asian American woman, as president, it will be historic on many levels. This is now a real possibility as voters positively evolve their stereotypes about female politicians.
Female candidates have long been hampered by stereotypes that portray them as emotional, weak, and sensitive. But now, our political science research shows, American voters increasingly see women leaders as synonymous with political leadership and more effective than male politicians.
This shift reflects a broader shift in what voters expect from their political leaders. They are now more likely to believe that female candidates are more “qualified” for public office. This could help pave the way for Harris to break through the highest glass ceiling in American politics.
classic double bind
Gender stereotypes are the assumptions and expectations people have about men and women. These have traditionally been obstacles for women leaders, including in politics.
Among the many barriers to a woman becoming president in the United States are gender stereotypes among voters. Generally, men are thought to have masculine traits such as being ambitious and competitive, while women are thought to have feminine traits such as being warm and caring. . Applying gender stereotypes to politicians leads voters to have very different expectations of male and female candidates.
This creates a typical double bind for women leaders. When they act like leaders, dominating and aggressive, they violate expectations of femininity. However, if they behave in a typical manner, they are not considered strong leaders.
The double bind extends to politics as well. It has long been said that stereotypes about male politicians, but not female politicians, align with the leadership qualities that voters look for in political leaders. These traits include competence, strong leadership, empathy, and integrity. A 2011 survey showed that stereotypes of female politicians lack clarity and people do not have clear expectations. Voters also did not believe that female politicians met the same four leadership qualities voters were looking for.
But by 2021, prominent female political leaders like Hillary Clinton, Nikki Haley, and Nancy Pelosi are reshaping the landscape for women seeking public office by shaping and solidifying public expectations. did.
More female politicians in the spotlight
In the past decade, more women have assumed political leadership roles in the United States than in previous decades. The number of women members increased from 90 to 145 between the 111th Congress from 2009 to 2011 and the 117th Congress from 2021 to 2023.
Additionally, prominent female politicians such as Democrats Pelosi and Clinton and Republican Liz Cheney have received significant attention from both the media and voters. Gender stereotypes about female politicians evolved from vague to clear and positive as voters became accustomed to them. This has shaped Harris’ political landscape today, which is markedly different than it was in the early 2010s.
We are political scientists who study how gender stereotypes influence the political underrepresentation of women. In 2021, we conducted research on how voters’ gender stereotypes of politicians have changed over the past decade. There are three main lessons:
1. Stereotypes of female politicians are becoming increasingly positive
Ten years ago, people could not agree on the characteristics that defined female politicians. Some described them as tough, while others considered them weak. Similarly, some people report them as rational, while others find it impossible to separate emotions and ideas. There were no characteristics that many people agreed to describe female politicians.
However, our research shows that voters now hold clear, positive stereotypes about them.
When asked about the characteristics they associate with female politicians, respondents cited positive traits such as being intelligent, rational, analytical, ambitious, and moral. At the same time, female politicians are rarely associated with negative traits such as being weak or short.
2. Stereotypes of male politicians are changing to increased negativity and distrust
Male politicians have traditionally been seen as confident, educated, charismatic and driven. But there’s bad news for men in politics. This means that this perception is changing. Our research reveals that stereotypes of male politicians have become more negative over a 10-year period.
Today, it is common for male politicians to be seen as power-hungry, selfish, manipulative and self-centered. They are rarely associated with traits such as being sympathetic or caring about “people like me.” This shows that voters are increasingly negative and distrustful of male politicians.
3. Female politicians are gaining ground and outperforming male politicians in perceived leadership.
In the past, stereotypes of female politicians were at odds with stereotypes of leadership. However, our study shows that this discrepancy is subsided. In fact, from 2011 to 2021, female politicians’ scores increased on all four leadership traits voters evaluate: competence, leadership, empathy, and integrity.
In contrast, male politicians perform worse on all four leadership traits. Currently, female politicians outperform their male counterparts on three of the four leadership traits: competence, empathy, and integrity. Expectations of male politicians regarding the fourth attribute, strong leadership, are now on par with expectations of female politicians.
Kamala Harris may benefit
Gender stereotypes have long prevented women from holding political office, but the rise of women in high-profile leadership positions has facilitated positive changes in stereotypes.
Indeed, high-profile female leaders like Pelosi and Clinton arouse both admiration and intense loathing. But as they and many others have followed, voters have grown accustomed to seeing women in political power. As a result, voters are now more likely to see female candidates like Harris as better suited for leadership roles such as the presidency.
As distrust of politics, especially male politicians, grows, women political leaders who are seen as agents of change may have an opportunity to restore trust in politics.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
