Gender Bias, Sexism, and Electoral Contests”

Abstract

A growing body of research shows that sexism matters for political behaviour and electoral outcomes. Although existing scholarship has predominantly focused on the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, recent work suggests that sexist attitudes are important for voting behaviour even in contexts where gender appears less electorally salient. This panel builds on existing scholarship and uses both experimental and survey research to consider the role of sexism and gender bias in a variety of electoral contexts within Europe, North America and Brazil. The panel uses sexism as a lens to examine political science puzzles such as the radical right gender gap, and to identify the electoral penalty paid by women candidates and those with feminine self-presentation. The panel as a whole uses a diverse set of measures of sexism and gender bias, including paying attention to ‘benevolent’ attitudes towards women. Contributions also take an intersectional approach by assessing voter evaluations of Black and women candidates who engage in stigmatised campaign practices, and investigating the electoral fortunes of women of colour at the ballot box.

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