“Running as women”? A comparison of female and male Pennsylvania assembly candidates' campaign brochures

Larson, Stephanie Greco

doi:10.1080/1554477x.2001.9970934

Cited by 25 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…While research on gender and elite behavior reaches mixed conclusions about the extent to which there are differences in how men and women campaign (Bystrom, Banwart, Kaid, & Robertson, 2004;Herrnson & Lucas, 2006;Kahn, 1993;Larson, 2001), many argue that differences have diminished considerably over time (Dolan, 2005;Herrnson, 1995;Panagopoulos, 2004;Sapiro, 2002;. Dabelko and Herrnson (1997, p. 133) describe women's and men's campaigns that "closely resembled one another" while Sapiro, Walsh, Strach, and Hennings (2011, p. 116) conclude that "gender plays little generalizable role in shaping basic campaign presentation."…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

In a Different Voice? Explaining the Use of Men and Women as Voice-Over Announcers in Political Advertising

Strach¹,

Zuber

Fowler

et al. 2015

Political Communication

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We draw on a comprehensive database of American political advertising and television audience profile data to investigate the ways in which gender influences choices about the use of voice-overs in political advertising. Our findings suggest that although men voice the vast majority of political ads, campaigns do strategically choose the sex of the voice-over announcer and that it systematically varies with candidate characteristics, ad tone, and, to a lesser extent, issues. Moreover, using survey data, we show that the choice of voice-over influences the perceived credibility of the ad.Modern political campaigns are increasingly sophisticated operations, and little is left to chance. Even minor decisions are made after careful study by experienced campaign professionals. This extends to decisions about political advertising, including what type of content to air, when and where. Indeed, the development of a political ad can be a lengthy process, one that includes message testing with focus groups, in order to get every last detail right (Johnson, 2001). In short, campaigns' choices about the content of their political ads are strategic, especially in well-financed campaigns for federal office.One of the choices that campaigns must make is whether to employ a voice-over announcer, and if so, whether that announcer should be a man or a woman. At first blush, that might seem to be a minor choice, but it is one that many campaigns take seriously-and one that is consequential. We will show that the choice of a man or woman to voice an ad varies systematically with several features of the ad and composition of the ad's intended audience. Moreover, using a wealth of survey data collected during the 2012 presidential campaign, we will show that the sex of the voice-over announcer influences perceptions of an ad's credibility, which is a known antecedent of persuasion

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

In a Different Voice? Explaining the Use of Men and Women as Voice-Over Announcers in Political Advertising

Strach¹,

Zuber

Fowler

et al. 2015

Political Communication

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“…On one hand, some studies find that women and men emphasize different messages to their constituents (e.g., Bystrom et al 2004;Dabelko and Herrnson 1997;Kahn 1996;Larson 2001). On one hand, some studies find that women and men emphasize different messages to their constituents (e.g., Bystrom et al 2004;Dabelko and Herrnson 1997;Kahn 1996;Larson 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Non-Gendered Lens? Media, Voters, and Female Candidates in Contemporary Congressional Elections

Hayes¹,

Lawless²

2015

Perspect. polit.

101

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Much research in the study of U.S. politics has argued that female candidates for elected office are treated differently-and often worse-than male candidates in the press and by the public. Although these patterns do not doom women to electoral failure, they raise a formidable series of obstacles that often complicate women's path to elective office, slowing the move toward gender parity in representation. Broad changes to the American political landscape, as well as methodological limitations of previous work, however, suggest the need for an updated assessment. We rely on a detailed content analysis of local newspaper coverage from nearly 350 U.S. House districts and nationally representative survey data from the 2010 midterms to provide a comprehensive evaluation of whether women experience a more hostile campaign environment than do men. We find that candidate sex does not affect journalists' coverage of, or voters' attitudes toward, the women and men running for office in their districts. Rather, reporters' portrayals and citizens' assessments of candidates stem primarily from partisanship, ideology, and incumbency, not the sex of the candidate. Although our results differ from much of the existing literature, we regard them as a valuable point of departure for answering pressing questions about gender and representation in contemporary politics, both in an American and comparative context.

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“…Moreover, she found that women were more likely to stress social issues such as health and education, while men stressed foreign policies and economics. Larson (2001) and Dabelko and Herrnson (1997) came up with findings similar to Kahn's (1994), with women candidates stressing female issues more frequently and economic issues less frequently. But there were studies showing contrary results.…”

Section: Gender Differences In Election Campaignsmentioning

confidence: 52%

Gender Differences in Campaign Materials and Politicians’ Professional Orientation: The Case of a Hong Kong Election

Lee

2007

Sex Roles

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This study examines gender differences in election campaigns with a specific focus on whether professional orientation, defined as the extent to which a politician sees politics as a career with its own ladder of advancement, would suppress gender differences. This is because candidates with higher levels of professional orientation may tend to see themselves primarily as "politicians" instead of as women or men. A content analysis of 836 candidates' campaign leaflets in a local level election in Hong Kong was conducted. The results show some differences in the extent to which women and men candidates mentioned certain issues and used certain appeals in their platforms. However, when gender differences existed, they were more pronounced among candidates with weaker professional orientation.

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“Running as women”? A comparison of female and male Pennsylvania assembly candidates' campaign brochures

Cited by 25 publications

References 0 publications

In a Different Voice? Explaining the Use of Men and Women as Voice-Over Announcers in Political Advertising

In a Different Voice? Explaining the Use of Men and Women as Voice-Over Announcers in Political Advertising

A Non-Gendered Lens? Media, Voters, and Female Candidates in Contemporary Congressional Elections

Gender Differences in Campaign Materials and Politicians’ Professional Orientation: The Case of a Hong Kong Election

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