The Picture-Perfect Politician: Gender Stereotypes amongst Youth on Political Leadership and Implications for Citizenship Education

Despite increasing efforts to undo gender inequalities through citizenship education and classroom interventions, the gender gap in political self-efficacy persists. One explanation provided by scholars is rooted in the role congruity theory; boys succeed to picture themselves in the world of politics because stereotypical traits associated with masculinity overlap with stereotypical traits of leadership (Eagly, Wood & Diekman, 2000; Eagly & Karau, 2002; Bos et al. 2022). In contrast, girls often struggle imagining themselves to be a political leader, partially because there is still a lack of representation of women in politics, which limits the availability of role models. Additionally, girls learn that they do not fit in the world of politics as their feminine attributes are incongruent with political leadership roles (Fraile & de Miguel Moyer, 2022). As politics becomes more feminine, and a greater diversity of female bodies enters politics, girls have more role models that could trigger their belief that someone like them could fit in politics and has a capacity to effectively weigh in on processes of decision-making. Recently, scholars observed a growing appreciation among the general public of stereotypical feminine (communal) leadership styles. However, stereotypical masculine characteristics remain the norm and feminine characteristics in leaders are perceived as ‘nice-to-have’ add-ons (as opposed to vital traits that evidence the competence of political leaders) (Vial & Napier, 2018; Tremmel & Wahl, 2023). Whether, and how, contemporary political leadership styles contribute to girls’ political efficacy beliefs remains a question for empirical investigation. This paper presents findings on a boys and girls’ perceptions of political leadership ideals and examines how these ideal conceptions relate to their self-efficacy beliefs. The paper draws on focus groups with Belgian high-school students (approximately 13-years old). During the focus groups, students were asked to describe their ideal political leaders and were asked if they could hypothetically see themselves successfully occupy a political role later in life. The data is analyzed with an intersectional lens. This paper is part of the G-EPIC project that looks into schools as important socializations agents (Pfanzelt & Spies, 2019; Quintelier, 2015; Schneider & Bos, 2019). After presenting the study’s main findings, the paper elaborates on the findings’ implications for citizenship education and socialisation processes, and reflects on the ways in which classroom interventions may promote the political self-efficacy of all students equally.