Roundtable Participant - Jessica Smith

Jessica Smith is a Lecturer in Politics and Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh. Her research centres on gender, electoral politics, representation and political leadership with a focus on British politics. She asks where and when there are biases in our political systems, from how voters act to how elected institutions operate. Dr Smith’s recent research interrogates concepts of the ‘good’ politician from a gendered perspective. She is currently working on a systematic review of gendered voter bias towards candidates (with Dr Hannah Bunting), as well as empirical work on how and whether voters’ conception of what makes a good politician has shifted to encompass women and femininity, or, if certain contexts, such as crises, lead voters to favour women.