The Role Of Gender In Politics In The United States

The result of the most recent United States presidential election remains a point of contention among observers and participants of American politics. Focus on political identities continues to surge in an effort to explain the outcome of the election. In fact, for the first time in the history of the United States, a female captured the Democratic nomination to compete in the general election. Though ultimately, the male Republican nominee prevailed. Research suggests that changes in the workforce, as well as progress in women’s rights issues, have created a gender gap in political party affiliation (Winter, 2010). Furthermore, Shapiro and Mahajan (1986) suggest that gender is a significant consideration in political identity due to the influence of political capital. To clarify, those who hold the most political power have the capability to marshal shifts in public opinion, which in turn, leads to implementation of legislative policy. Hence, a deep examination of political participation and the composition of political identities within the polis remains critical to understanding if females are indeed more likely to identify as Democrat, while males are more likely to identify as Republican. …show more content…
Moreover, Costain (1991) posits that the era of Ronald Reagan serves as a significant inflection point in history. As the Republican presidential candidate, Reagan campaigned in opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). As more women entered the workforce in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, women’s issues gained considerable exposure, and public opinion established the Democratic party as the champion of equal rights (Costain,