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ECPR

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A List experiment into support for a female, Muslim Prime Minister

Gender
Islam
Electoral Behaviour
Experimental Design
Daphne van der Pas
University of Amsterdam
Susan Banducci
University of Exeter
Daphne van der Pas
University of Amsterdam

Abstract

List experiments have documented that a significant minority of voters in the US opposes electing a woman as president. We extend this line of research to a new context, the Netherlands, and moreover, study intersectional bias against women political leaders. Employing a pre-registered list experiment that circumvents social desirability bias, we study how Dutch voters feel about the prospect of 1) a female Prime Minister, 2) a female Muslim Prime Minister, and 3) a female Muslim Prime Minister in a Hijab. We find that -contrary to in the US- voters support the idea of a female Prime Minster. However, we also find widespread opposition to a female Muslim leader, among around 30% of the Dutch electorate. This opposition is largest among right-wing populist voters, but also present among mainstream (left) parties. We discuss the implications for democracy.