Androgyny and the 2020 US Presidential Election: The Benefits of a “Balanced” Ticket?

Abstract

Data gathered from 667 respondents during the 2020 U S presidential election showed that, in contrast to previous studies of presidential leadership, the Ideal President was viewed as androgynous (i.e., balanced in masculine and feminine traits) rather than masculine. None of the four (President and Vice-President) major party candidates fit the ideal profile perfectly. Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris were perceived as higher on masculinity than femininity, whereas Joe Biden was perceived as higher in femininity than masculinity. Compared to the White male candidates, Harris, a woman of color, was most notably perceived as the opposite of her running mate Biden in both masculinity and femininity. Male and female respondents perceived the Ideal President differently, men as higher in masculinity than femininity and women as higher in femininity than masculinity. Respondents’ presidential candidate preferences were related to their descriptions of the Ideal President: Trump supporters perceived the Ideal President as higher in masculinity than femininity, whereas Biden supporters perceived the Ideal President as balanced in masculinity and femininity. The Democratic ticket as a whole represented a balanced team, with one candidate higher on femininity and the other higher on masculinity; in essence, an androgynous ticket. In contrast, the Republican ticket as a whole represented a decidedly masculine team. That the Democratic ticket clearly won the election (both the popular vote and the electoral college vote) with an androgynous ticket raises the question of whether the relationship between gender and leader stereotypes has shifted towards a more level playing field for female vis-à-vis male candidates for leader roles.