Abstract
AbstractAre policy arguments more or less persuasive when they are made by female politicians? Using a diverse sample of American respondents, we conduct a survey experiment which randomly varies the gender associated with two co-partisan candidates across four policy debates. We find strong effects contingent on respondent partisanship and gender, most notably on the issue of access to birth control. On this issue, regardless of the candidate's stance, Democratic respondents, particularly Democratic men, are much more likely to agree with the female candidate. Conversely, Republican respondents, particularly Republican women, are much more likely to agree with the male candidate. We discuss the implications of our findings for the meaning of gender as a heuristic in a highly partisan environment.
Highlights
The ability to persuade is a fundamental political skill
Candidates attempt to persuade potential voters of their fitness for the job. Politicians use their skills of persuasion during policy debates, an activity frequent in all deliberative bodies from the floors of the House and Senate to town hall meetings
Democrats are more likely to agree with the female candidate regardless of the stance she takes, whereas Republicans are consistently more supportive of the male candidate, regardless of the stance he takes
Summary
The ability to persuade is a fundamental political skill. Both as candidates and as elected officials, politicians try to influence the preferences of others to accomplish their electoral or policy goals. Female politicians may have a more difficult time establishing credibility as policy experts in the first place (Ditonto et al, 2014) This body of research largely suggests that women face evaluative penalties when they occupy roles or engage in behaviors that are seen as traditionally masculine. Past research indicates that men and women are seen as more competent in particular policy areas or preferred when certain issues are salient, we are not aware of any study in this vein that examines how voters evaluate gender differences in persuasiveness. We believe this is a hard and important test for the existence of gender stereotypes. Our research design enables us to examine how citizens respond to women when they actively and contentiously engage with a male speaker on different policy issues
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
