Candidate Gender

Women continue to be under-represented in elected office in the United States. Chapter 8 assesses whether chairs view women candidates as less viable, as well as whether voters are less inclined to support women candidates. The experimental findings offer little support for the notion that chairs systematically view women candidates as less likely to win, a pattern that is consistent with the (lack of) gender effects that emerge among voters. This said, although some of the chairs interviewed in person said they view gender as irrelevant, most viewed women candidates as tending to have distinctive advantages and, in some cases, disadvantages. The most common theme that arose in the interviews was the perception—consistent with evidence from existing work—that women candidates tend to be more qualified and harder working, entering a race only when they are well-prepared and conditions are ripe.