Can Precision Help Women Candidates? Communication Style and Gendered Issue Competence Stereotypes

How does communication style shape voters’ evaluations of political candidates, and is this more important for women than for men? While women now win elections at similar rates as men, they continue to face gender stereotypes that shape how voters evaluate them (Dolan, 2015; Huddy & Terkildsen, 1993; Schneider & Bos, 2014). One communication strategy that may affect candidate evaluations is vagueness about the candidate’s issue positions (as opposed to precision) (Lefevere, 2023). Although vagueness can help candidates avoid alienating voters, it can also reduce perceptions of competence. Precision, on the other hand, can increase these competence evaluations (Frenkel, 2011). As perceptions of competence are central to candidate evaluations (André et al., 2010), precision may be especially important for women candidates, who continue to face additional biases compared to men (Bauer, 2020; Ditonto, 2025). In this study, I examine whether and how communicating precise policy positions can help women candidates overcome gendered issue competence stereotypes. Following existing research, women candidates are perceived as more competent on stereotypically feminine issues (e.g. healthcare and education). Men, on the other hand, are associated with stereotypically masculine issues (e.g. finance and defense) (Huddy & Terkildsen, 1993; Lawless, 2004). I argue that precise communication can enhance women’s competence evaluations across issue domains. Additionally, I propose that this effect is particularly beneficial for women when addressing masculine or neutral issues, where stereotypes are less favorable to them. To test these expectations, I conducted a conjoint survey experiment among 2794 respondents in Flanders, Belgium. In the experiment, I manipulated candidate gender, issue type, and the level of vagueness in the communicated policy position. This design allows me to assess how communication styles can help women overcome issue competence stereotypes across different policy domains. The findings of this paper contribute to the literature on political communication and gender by showing how women can strategically employ vagueness or precision to navigate persistent biases.