(How) Do Voters Discriminate Against Women?

Men tend to be overrepresented in elected political offices worldwide. But is this an obvious result of voters’ bias against women candidates? While several studies have looked into barriers against women politicians in African politics, the literature on voters’ gendered perceptions are lacking. Based on experimental and qualitative evidence from Malawi, Amanda Clayton presents recent research findings about how bias may occur even where voters do not ceteris paribus discriminate on the basis of gender.

Amanda Clayton
is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Her research concerns political institutions, representation, and public policy, with a focus on gender and politics. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in such journals as American Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, International Organization, and The Journal of Politics.