See Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin Run? Party, Ideology, and the Influence of Female Role Models on Young Women

Abstract

Previous research suggests that women’s descriptive representation may have a role-model effect on young women, encouraging them to greater levels of political participation. Using data from the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Survey of Political and Civic Engagement of Young People, we examine whether highly visible female role models like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin, and viable female candidates for governor and senator had a role-model effect on young women. At the national level, we find some evidence of a role-model effect resulting from the election of Speaker Pelosi and the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton, but the effects are largely concentrated among young women who are Democratic and liberal. We find little evidence that Sarah Palin’s vice-presidential run had a role-model effect on young women, regardless of party or ideology. Our state-level analysis of viable female gubernatorial and senatorial candidates finds that role-model effects on young women and men are mediated in different ways by ideology and, to a lesser extent, party.

‘Female Heroes’: Celebrity Executives as Postfeminist Role Models

“…We have argued that, despite a certain 'spirit' of agency and achievement, the extent to which the gendered ideal modelled by business celebrities may have a sustainable impact on women's advancement in the workplace may be rather limited. Current research (Cheryan et al, 2011;de Vries, Webb and Eveline, 2006;Mariani et al, 2015;Sealy and Singh, 2010) indicates that long-lasting sustainable change in generating women's advancement happens when women are encouraged to recognize and challenge gender barriers, rather than focus on changing their individual behaviour. The books suggest that, if women emulate this 3Cs ideal, it is entirely possible to jump over, manage or push through gender workplace barriers.…”

Gender and Social Justice: An Examination of Attitudes and Behaviors Among Undergraduate Liberal Arts Students

“…Since the majority of students in this study were white, their white privilege may have caused cultural or racial dissonance that inhibited social justice action (Cabrero, 2012; Robbins, 2016). An alternative explanation is tied to the literature reporting that women are less involved in politics (Mariani, Marshall, & Mathews-Schultz, 2015). Women in the United States have only had the right to vote for 98 years, and women leaders are grossly underrepresented in U.S. national political races and seats, although the 2018 election showed an increase in women running for political office.…”

Does Exposure to Gender Role Models Increase Women’s Political Ambition? A Field Experiment with Politicians

“…Campbell and Wolbrecht (2006, 233) conclude that "the presence of visible female role models does in fact increase the propensity for girls to express an intention to be politically active. " Mariani, Marshall, and Mathews-Schultz (2015) found a positive effect of very prominent female politicians on young women's political participation, whereas Hoyt and Simon (2011) emphasize the importance of role models being "non-elite," that is, easier to identify with. Ladam, Harden, and Windett (2016) found that electing a female governor has a significant effect on the number of female candidates for the state legislature.…”

“…In this paper, we focus on gender role models. Based on evidence from observational studies, it is widely believed that exposure to role modelspoliticians of the same gender with which potential aspirants can identifyhas a positive effect on political engagement (Campbell and Wolbrecht, 2006;Fridkin and Kenney, 2014;Lawless and Fox, 2010;Mariani, Marshall, and Mathews-Schultz, 2015;Wolbrecht and Campbell, 2007), as well as on political ambition more specifically (Beaman et al, 2009(Beaman et al, , 2012Ladam, Harden, and Windett, 2016). Significantly fewer studies report null findings or conditional effects (Broockman, 2014;Clayton, 2015;Gilardi, 2015).…”