Stereotypes Of Women In Elections

There are no inherent differences between a woman and a man’s ability to lead, and while gender stereotypes and biases still remain, society is becoming more accepting of their leadership. However, many gender stereotypes are so deeply entrenched that women are often still seen as less capable leaders than men. Political campaigns are a prime example of how women are still struggling to prove their equality with men. Female candidates are questioned in their ability to lead and their relevance, and the media reinforces societal gender stereotypes by providing biased campaign coverage. While all elections serve to challenge candidates and decide who would make the best leader, female candidates are more likely to be challenged based on their

From then on, the influence that women had on society grew as they sought out different careers, established labor unions and advocated for social reform, among other things (Women in Labor History Timeline). In 1920, women were finally given political influence when the 19th amendment was passed and they were granted the right to vote. From then on, women began to fill positions of political leadership and thus began to challenge societal beliefs that women were by nature different and less capable than

In a journal publication about news coverage on women candidates, Lindsey Meeks describes what she calls “gender incongruences” which occur when a person has a job that goes against gender stereotypes, like a male teacher or a female firefighter (176). In both cases, the professional’s job lies outside of traditional norms, causing them to face varying levels of gender discrimination. Political leadership is an example of a career that is often seen as gender incongruent for females because many of the typically desired traits in leadership are labeled as more masculine. “Masculine traits” that are associated with good leadership include “strength, assertiveness, independence, aggressiveness, and confidence” whereas women are expected to exhibit “feminine traits” which include “warmth, compassion, emotionality, honesty, altruism, and congeniality” (Meeks 180). Unfortunately, the feminine traits that women are expected to exhibit are seen as less compatible for good