Perhaps the clearest recent example of gender stereotyping detrimental to a female political candidate in the United States is demonstrated by the media portrayals and public perception of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election. Hillary Clinton possesses a range of education and experience making her optimally qualified for the position of President of the United States (she possesses qualifications that former successful US Presidents and politicians also carry). However, Clinton was scrutinized to a degree different from male politicians running for the office of President.
On one hand, Hillary Clinton was painted as an “ice queen”- cold, emotionally detached, and unfeminine in her interactions with the public and her own family. On the other end of the spectrum, Clinton was characterized as “overly emotional:” incapable of making the tough decisions the office of president mandates due to her feminine characteristics. Though these phrases hold opposite implications, their characterization revolves around societal ideas about femininity which disadvantages female politicians and is a contributing deterrent in their participation in the political system.
Stereotypes matter. They shape the conversation. They shape campaigns, and they influence public perception.
My research involves an examination of manifestations of institutionalized sexism and tests for the prevalence of social groups in determining a willingness to voice inadvertent or blatant sexism when evaluating the qualifications of female political candidates. To better understand the perceptive barriers that women face politically, I examine gender stereotypes that shape discussion and qualification perceptions of female political candidates by the public. I accomplished this through an examination of the role gender bias plays in the under-representation of women in politics and how this is manifest in guided group discussions of candidate qualifications. I adopted an experimental approach consisting of two separate focus groups consisting of Brigham Young University students of different political backgrounds tasked with evaluating political candidates, male and female, through the same non-partisan, generic political speech. The responses to speeches and the rhetoric used to describe male and female qualifications were influenced by the gender of the candidate and gender stereotypes shaped the conversations by the focus groups.
The responses to guided questions by the focus group indicated that gender stereotypes not only shaped the conversation, but that they were prevalent in groups made up of a female majority.
The presence of women in group discussions alone does not mean that gender bias will not come into play when discussing women running for political office.
Here are some quotes that the female-majority group used when discussing the female candidate:
“Youth outreach is great. I like that she mentions that right off the bat.”
This quote demonstrates the way we view the qualifications of women running for office may be shaped by the stereotypes we have connecting women to children and youth. In the speech, there were references to a variety of platforms including localizing government and strengthening the local community. However, when discussing the potential strengths of the candidate, it is notable that only youth outreach was discussed when discussing the woman running for office whereas it was not mentioned by the group evaluating the man running for office using the same speech and platforms.
“I wonder if she has experience in politics or what her qualifications are…”
This comment by the group evaluating the woman running for political office reveals another aspect of gender bias coming into play. That is, questioning the qualifications of women running for office. Research indicates that women running for political office often hold more qualifications than men running for the same positions. However, the qualifications of the women are discounted or evaluated differently than men. This leads voters to hold women running for office to higher standards than men, perhaps explaining some of the perception barriers that lead to the underrepresentation of women holding political office. A critique regarding the potential qualifications of the candidate running for office was not mentioned by the group evaluating the man running for office.
So what does all this mean? Men and women are held to different standards and gender stereotypes shape the conversation regarding qualification evaluations. These stereotypes are prevalent in groups made up of a majority of women- meaning many stereotypes are internalized and implicit. However, as society begins to elect more women to political office, the prevalence of stereotyping in voter decisions decreases. A democracy is stronger when elected officials reflect its population demographically, and it is imperative that we, as a public, are aware of the barriers that lead to the underrepresentation of a demographic based on gender.
