Psychological Challenges For Political Campaigns

When considering making a political bid for office, women are often handicapped by psychological challenges, such as lacking confidence, that men are statistically less likely to report as reasons for not making political bids. One of the most compelling psychological challenges women face when making a political bid is that they are more likely to think that they do not have the qualifications to run for political office than men are (Lawless and Fox 114). Among the skills considered to be important for political success are knowledge about public policy issues, professional experience relevant to politics, good public speaking ability, good fundraising skills, and good self-promoting skills. As shown in Table 6.3, women are less likely to

Regardless of if the ability to withstand criticism or the ability to tolerate the practice of politics, women are more likely than men to conclude that they do not have the right personalities for political office. Disdain for the process of running for political office is another psychological challenge that handicaps women when considering making a political bid. Women reported being less willing than men to tolerate mechanics of a political campaign such such as soliciting campaign contributions, dealing with party officials, going door-to-door to meet constituents, dealing with members of the press, and potentially having to engage in a negative campaign. Women also reported being less willing than men to tolerate personal aspects of the campaign such as potentially hindering professional goals, spending less time with family, and loss of privacy. Significantly more women said that they viewed the mechanics of a political campaign and the personal aspects of a political campaign as “so negative it would deter me from running for office” (Lawless and Fox