Do Voters Read Gender?
Stereotypes as Voting Cues in Electoral Settings
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Publication date: 2013-06-25
Polish Sociological Review 2013;182(2):223-238
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ABSTRACT
In this paper, I examine the impact of voters’ stereotypes regarding candidate gender on their
propensity to favour either male or female candidates to the parliament. I draw on two strands of literature:
the proposition put forward by Huddy and Terkildsen (1993a) holding that candidate gender gives a rise to
the emergence of stereotypes concerning their qualifications and stances on political issues, and Sanbonmatsu’s
(2002) argument that such stereotypes breed voters’ preferences regarding their representatives’
gender. The link between gender stereotypes and voters’ gender preferences is examined in the context
of Polish parliamentary election of 2005. I find out initial evidence suggesting that, indeed, stereotypes
concerning candidate qualifications and beliefs, as well as a voter’s own gender, affect electoral preferences
of Polish voters.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to thank Maciej A. Górecki, Natalia Letki and the anonymous reviewer for their insightful comments on the drafts of this article.