Can Sexism in the House of Representatives Be Measured with the Presence of Military Installations?
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Patrick Cottrell
Location
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
Subject Area
Political Science
Description
In American politics, it is widely assumed that female candidates across elections face stereotypes that are detrimental to their electoral success. A significant amount of research points out how the media portrays female candidates differently than men and how voters perceive female candidates as inferior to men in military matters. Humans know they should not be sexist, so evaluating the true role of gender in elections is difficult. Many studies create hypothetical candidates who are lacking details and context to try and measure gender bias in voters. But, how much are these negative stereotypes actually affecting vote choice when real people are running for election? My research focuses on using military installations as a measure of gender bias in the House of Representatives elections from 2012-2014. This measure utilizes a commonly held negative stereotype in real elections to measure gender bias. My results indicate while only statistically significant in some measures, the presence of a military installation does negatively impact a woman running for election in the House of Representatives during the 2012 and 2014 sessions.
Recommended Citation
McTaggart, Molly L., "Can Sexism in the House of Representatives Be Measured with the Presence of Military Installations?" (2017). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 2.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2017/all/2
Can Sexism in the House of Representatives Be Measured with the Presence of Military Installations?
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
In American politics, it is widely assumed that female candidates across elections face stereotypes that are detrimental to their electoral success. A significant amount of research points out how the media portrays female candidates differently than men and how voters perceive female candidates as inferior to men in military matters. Humans know they should not be sexist, so evaluating the true role of gender in elections is difficult. Many studies create hypothetical candidates who are lacking details and context to try and measure gender bias in voters. But, how much are these negative stereotypes actually affecting vote choice when real people are running for election? My research focuses on using military installations as a measure of gender bias in the House of Representatives elections from 2012-2014. This measure utilizes a commonly held negative stereotype in real elections to measure gender bias. My results indicate while only statistically significant in some measures, the presence of a military installation does negatively impact a woman running for election in the House of Representatives during the 2012 and 2014 sessions.
