Stereotypes of Female Political Leaders
All women deal with a number of stereotypes each and every day. There are many female stereotypes that our society has created. Some of these include: women are too emotional, women are poor drivers, and all women belong in the kitchen. Female political leaders encounter certain stereotypes and this has an impact on how they are represented in the media and perceived by the public. Although people are more likely than ever before to vote for a female leader, they still face many difficult obstacles and it takes a very strong woman to work through these obstacles in order to be successful and lead her country. Many years ago women were not even allowed to vote but there have been many powerful women who …show more content…
Margaret Thatcher for example was one of these women. She was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Nicknamed the “Iron Lady”, she left a huge impression on nations worldwide and her legacy has paved the way for other female political leaders (Ponton, 2010). Margaret Thatcher deliberately set out to excel in characteristics that were traditionally associated with men: authority, firmness, determination, and the will to succeed (Ponton, 2010). Many people saw these as positive qualities in her. Authority and firmness are always seen as positive qualities for male political leaders but society sometimes believes that women should not be too aggressive or firm because it makes them seem cold and unlikeable. Such qualities such as efficiency and toughness are generally thought of as male characteristics rather than female. Hillary Clinton is a leader who comes across to voters as ambitious, outspoken, and tough but many voters claim to like these qualities in her (Ponton, 2010). It can be quite confusing because our society believes that female political leaders must be tough but not too tough, firm but not too firm, and assertive but not too assertive (Ponton, 2010). Female politicians face the dilemma of being “damned if they behave like men and damned if they don’t (Ponton, 2010, p. 195).” Margaret Thatcher believed that the solution to this dilemma …show more content…
Most voters do not automatically assume that female candidates are too weak, passive, or emotional to run for office and gender stereotypes are not an obstacle for female candidates at the onset of their campaign (Bauer, 2015). But support can be significantly reduced when voters see campaign messages in the media such as speeches, ads, websites, and news reports that portray women in stereotyped ways (Bauer, 2015). Female political candidates must be very strategic when crafting their campaign image (Bauer, 2015). If female politicians avoid invoking feminine stereotypes, voters will be more likely to evaluate them in non-stereotyped ways (Bauer, 2015). Voters will also evaluate female candidates in non-stereotyped ways when the media no longer stereotypes
All women deal with a number of stereotypes each and every day. There are many female stereotypes that our society has created. Some of these include: women are too emotional, women are poor drivers, and all women belong in the kitchen. Female political leaders encounter certain stereotypes and this has an impact on how they are represented in the media and perceived by the public. Although people are more likely than ever before to vote for a female leader, they still face many difficult obstacles and it takes a very strong woman to work through these obstacles in order to be successful and lead her country. Many years ago women were not even allowed to vote but there have been many powerful women who …show more content…
Margaret Thatcher for example was one of these women. She was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Nicknamed the “Iron Lady”, she left a huge impression on nations worldwide and her legacy has paved the way for other female political leaders (Ponton, 2010). Margaret Thatcher deliberately set out to excel in characteristics that were traditionally associated with men: authority, firmness, determination, and the will to succeed (Ponton, 2010). Many people saw these as positive qualities in her. Authority and firmness are always seen as positive qualities for male political leaders but society sometimes believes that women should not be too aggressive or firm because it makes them seem cold and unlikeable. Such qualities such as efficiency and toughness are generally thought of as male characteristics rather than female. Hillary Clinton is a leader who comes across to voters as ambitious, outspoken, and tough but many voters claim to like these qualities in her (Ponton, 2010). It can be quite confusing because our society believes that female political leaders must be tough but not too tough, firm but not too firm, and assertive but not too assertive (Ponton, 2010). Female politicians face the dilemma of being “damned if they behave like men and damned if they don’t (Ponton, 2010, p. 195).” Margaret Thatcher believed that the solution to this dilemma …show more content…
Most voters do not automatically assume that female candidates are too weak, passive, or emotional to run for office and gender stereotypes are not an obstacle for female candidates at the onset of their campaign (Bauer, 2015). But support can be significantly reduced when voters see campaign messages in the media such as speeches, ads, websites, and news reports that portray women in stereotyped ways (Bauer, 2015). Female political candidates must be very strategic when crafting their campaign image (Bauer, 2015). If female politicians avoid invoking feminine stereotypes, voters will be more likely to evaluate them in non-stereotyped ways (Bauer, 2015). Voters will also evaluate female candidates in non-stereotyped ways when the media no longer stereotypes