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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

vote turnout, femininity, attitudes, female political candidates

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

Currently, the United States ranks as the 86th country in women’s representation in government,with 18.2 percent of seats in the House of Representatives and 20 percent representation in the Senate (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2014). With a nation that is half comprised of women, questions are raised as to why women have historically been underrepresented in government. More coverage on the physical appearances and fashion choices of female political candidates has far exceeded the coverage given to their male counterparts (Rosholm, 2009). How female political candidates are initially perceived based on their physical attributes may be a contributing factor as to why there is little representation of women in government. Political scientist, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, discusses the relationship between femininity and competence in regards to women, claiming that these two characteristics serve as a double bind for women, particularly in the workplace. According to the theory, women that express high levels of femininity are perceived as less competent. Likewise, women that display low levels of femininity are also perceived as less competent (Jamieson, 1995). Achieving the perfect balance of femininity appears to be an important factor for how women are viewed by their peers. This research offers insight regarding the question of how differing levels of both femininity and perceived competence can affect attitudes about female political candidates.

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