Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior

Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior
Author: Monika L. McDermott
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2016-07-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0190462825

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What influences political behavior more -- one's gender or one's gendered personality traits? Certain gendered traits have long been associated with particular political leanings in American politics. For example, the Democratic Party is thought to have a compassionate, feminine nature while the Republican Party is deemed to have a tougher, more masculine nature. Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior, a first-of-its-kind analysis of the effects of individuals' gendered personality traits -- masculinity and femininity -- on their political attitudes and behavior, argues that gendered personalities, and not biological sex, are what drive the political behavior of individual citizens. Drawing on a groundbreaking national survey measuring gendered personality traits and political preferences, the book shows that individuals' levels of masculine and feminine personality traits help to determine their party identification, vote choice, ideology, and political engagement. And in conjunction with biological sex, these traits also influence attitudes about sex roles. For example, the more strongly an individual identifies with "feminine" characteristics, the more strongly they identify with the Democratic Party. Likewise, the more "masculine" an individual, the more they are drawn to the GOP. The book also demonstrates that, despite conventional wisdom, biological sex does not dictate gendered personalities. As such, the personality trait approach of the book moves gender and politics research well beyond the traditional male/female dichotomy. Moreover, Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior points to new and as yet underexplored strategies for candidate campaigns, get out the vote efforts, and officeholders' governing behavior.

Gender and American Politics

Gender and American Politics
Author: Sue Tolleson-Rinehart
Publisher: M.E. Sharpe
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780765604095

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Gender matters in American politics, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes in ways rarely noticed. As manifested in the "gender gap", it inflects political attitudes and behaviors, resulting in distinctive patterns of difference and similarity in the opinions and voting behavior of men and women. It plays a role in public policy decision making on a wide range of issues, not only those related to reproduction and health. Finally, and sometimes very subtly, gender and gendered assumptions influence the operation of governmental institutions from the cabinet to Congress to the courtroom, and the ways those institutions are changing over time. This path-breaking collection of original essays systematically explores the roles of gender in American political life -- how men and women are politically the same and politically different in their attitudes and actions. Among the topics covered are political knowledge; moral decision making; patterns of participation; taxation; gender in policy debates; social policy; health policy; and women in the cabinet, the Congress, and the judiciary.

Masculinity in American Politics

Masculinity in American Politics
Author: Monika L. McDermott
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2025-02-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781479830701

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How elements of masculinity manifest themselves in all aspects of American political life While hardly a new phenomenon, masculinity—which includes elements of toughness, independence, and leadership, among others—roared onto the national political stage in America with the 2016 candidacy, election, and presidency of Donald Trump. Research into masculinity dates back over a century, but little attention has been paid to the specific role of masculinity in politics beyond the conventional wisdom that it, rather than femininity, is the dominant force. This lack of research has led to a lack of knowledge on how exactly, and how much, masculinity shapes political structures, attitudes and behaviors, from children’s socialization to our masculine political world, to how a new generation views this traditional dominance. In Masculinity in American Politics, Monika L. McDermott and Dan Cassino bring together a prestigious group of interdisciplinary scholars to explore these questions and their implications for different aspects of political life. Topics include the challenge of defining and measuring masculinity, how perceptions of gender and masculinity can shape campaign messaging strategies and public opinion, and other discussions of political identity, including age, race, and ethnicity. With contributions from Melissa Deckman, Jill S. Greenlee, Amanda Bittner, and other high-profile scholars, this comprehensive volume provides insight into masculinity and its high-stakes political manifestations, particularly as Gen Z fights to redefine the contours of their own gender and sexuality. Drawing upon insights from politics, sociology, psychology, and the broader social sciences, Masculinity in American Politics pushes the field to look “beyond the binary” and illuminate this brave, new world of political conflict and possibility.

Masculinity and Femininity in Politics

Masculinity and Femininity in Politics
Author: Aleksandra Ruseva
Publisher:
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2014
Genre: Femininity
ISBN:

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"Over the past few decades American voters have gradually come to analyze political parties in the gendered terms of masculinity and femininity. By using the 2000, 2004, and 2008 National Annenberg Election Survey pre-election data, this paper illustrates that the connections between gender stereotypes and party images are embedded at the explicit level of the traits that individuals associate with each party, as well as at the implicit level of unconscious cognitive connections between party and gender stereotypes. Furthermore, these gendered connections have a significant impact on citizens' political cognition and on the study of American political behavior, campaign strategy, and public opinion."--Abstract

Who Runs?

Who Runs?
Author: Meredith Conroy
Publisher:
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre:
ISBN: 0472132105

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To explain women's underrepresentation in American politics, researchers have directed their attention to differences between men and women, especially during the candidate emergence process, which includes recruitment, perception of qualifications, and political ambition. Although these previous analyses have shown that consistent dissimilarities likely explain why men outnumber women in government, they have overlooked a more explicit role for gender (masculinity and femininity) in explanations of candidate emergence variation. Meredith Conroy and Sarah Oliver focus on the candidate emergence process (recruitment, perceived qualifications, and ambition), and investigate the affects of individuals' gender personality on these variables to improve theories of women's underrepresentation in government. They argue that since politics and masculinity are congruent, we should observe more precise variation in the candidate emergence process along gender differences, than along sex differences in isolation. Individuals who are more masculine will be more likely to be recruited, perceive of themselves as qualified, and express political ambition, than less masculine individuals. This differs from studies that look at sex differences, because it accepts that some women defy gender norms and break into politics. By including a measure of gender personality we can more fully grapple with women's progress in American politics, and consider whether this progress rests on masculine behaviors and attributes. Who Runs? The Masculine Advantage in Candidate Emergence explores this possibility and the potential ramifications.

Gender Threat

Gender Threat
Author: Yasemin Cassino
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2021-11-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1503629902

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Against all evidence to the contrary, American men have come to believe that the world is tilted – economically, socially, politically – against them. A majority of men across the political spectrum feel that they face some amount of discrimination because of their sex. The authors of Gender Threat look at what reasoning lies behind their belief and how they respond to it. Many feel that there is a limited set of socially accepted ways for men to express their gender identity, and when circumstances make it difficult or impossible for them to do so, they search for another outlet to compensate. Sometimes these behaviors are socially positive, such as placing a greater emphasis on fatherhood, but other times they can be maladaptive, as in the case of increased sexual harassment at work. These trends have emerged, notably, since the Great Recession of 2008-09. Drawing on multiple data sources, the authors find that the specter of threats to their gender identity has important implications for men's behavior. Importantly, younger men are more likely to turn to nontraditional compensatory behaviors, such as increased involvement in cooking, parenting, and community leadership, suggesting that the conception of masculinity is likely to change in the decades to come.

Gender and Socialization to Power and Politics

Gender and Socialization to Power and Politics
Author: Rita Mae Kelly
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 108
Release: 1986
Genre: Feminism
ISBN: 9780866566735

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This thought-provoking book illustrates how the interaction of childhood socialization and the reality of the adult woman's life produces variations in political attitudes and in perceptions of available options for political behavior. Important suggestions for facilitating resocialization to feminism and increasing political participation are included.

A Portrait of Marginality

A Portrait of Marginality
Author: Marianne Githens
Publisher: David McKay Company
Total Pages: 460
Release: 1977
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

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A Century of Votes for Women

A Century of Votes for Women
Author: Christina Wolbrecht
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2020-01-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107187494

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Examines how and why American women voted since the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920.