Is It Gender, Ideology or Resources? Individual-Level Determinants of Preferential Voting for Male or Female Candidates
(2015) Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties — Vol. 25, n° 3, p. 265-283 (2015)
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- Abstract
- This article examines the role of gender in determining preferential votes for electoral candidates in the 2009 Belgian regional elections. Specifically, we examine how far votes for male or female candidates can be explained through explicit gender-based motives versus being based on other non-gendered grounds. Our findings show that while at least half of the voters express a gender preference and this is typically in favour of male candidates, the determinants of these preferences are not predominantly motivated by gender-based concerns. More important factors are voters’ access to political resources and party affiliation. Politically disengaged and right-wing voters display a clear preference for male candidates. The findings are important in showing that institutional factors only go part of the way to explaining gender imbalances in parliamentary representation. In particular, individuals’ political outlook, rather than explicit gender preference, plays a significant role in determining whether voters support a male or female candidate.
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Erzeel, S., & Caluwaerts, D. (2015). Is It Gender, Ideology or Resources? Individual-Level Determinants of Preferential Voting for Male or Female Candidates. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties, 25(3), 265-283. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2015.1008495 (Original work published 2015)