Sex differences, personality, and ideology: a deeper investigation via contexts in a study of local politics

Abstract

There is a puzzle in existing research literatures. Some studies suggest that sex differences impact political attitudes and behaviors, others contend there are sex differences in personality, and still other research implies that personality underpins political attitudes and behaviors. Despite empirical trends and studies suggesting tendencies that underpin behavior, there is no theory to suggest how sex, personality, and ideology are related to political behavior. We attempt to wrestle with this puzzle utilizing data from a study of men and women serving on local boards and commissions. Our findings suggest that, indeed, there appear to be types of people in terms of sex, personality, and ideology who gravitate to service on certain types of boards and commissions, but many of the relationships we identify require an understanding of local context and culture that the existing literatures on sex difference and personality do not speak to. This sets the stage for more nuanced studies of why sex, personality, and ideology may matter for political behavior (and why they may not), as well as the trouble with taking a particular approach to studying political behavior – namely one that focuses on correlations between traits in lieu of a focus on persons and their choices in local contexts.