… Why did women, most of whom were Democrats, do well in 2012? Observers have offered numerous explanations, including controversial comments about rape and abortion by “self-immolating” Republican candidates, an election-year focus on women’s health issues, redistricting, or a favorable electoral environment for the Democratic Party.
But here’s another: gender bias – either by the media or the voters – is no longer the impediment to female candidates that it once was. That is the conclusion that Jennifer Lawless of American University and I draw in a recent investigation of media coverage of and voter attitudes toward U.S. House candidates. We find that neither news coverage nor voters’ assessments of female candidates reflects the kind of gender stereotyping that has typically pervaded contemporary American politics. [cont.]
Danny Hayes, GWU (Washington Post)