Gender, Revolving Doors, and Voter Tolerance of Corruption

Why do voters perceive female politicians as more honest, even in contexts where corruption is pervasive? We argue that essentialist gender stereotypes shape how voters evaluate political candidates with ties to corrupt firms, even when both female and male candidates have credible opportunities to engage in corruption. Using a conjoint survey experiment conducted in Brazil in 2021, we test voter perceptions of female and male mayoral candidates connected to corrupt firms. We find that voters, regardless of their gender, prefer female over male mayoral candidates, even when both are associated with corrupt firms. This preference for female candidates varies depending on the level of women’s inclusion in local politics. Voters in municipalities with higher female political representation in local councils express lower support for female candidates compared to those in municipalities without female representation. These results indicate the persistence of essentialist perceptions of women as more honest, even when they are business candidates connected to corrupt firms. Our paper also highlights that actual experiences with women in political decision-making can influence voter perceptions of female candidates linked to corruption.