Female Public Officials: Annotated Bibliography

Introduction

This research focuses on the question of whether there exists a bias towards female public officials who are vying for office. It is argued that this issue has been discussed inconclusively in the past. Although gender inequality is yet to be fully resolved, research shows that female candidates perform just as great as their male counterparts. The research features the collection and analysis of secondary data which identifies the presence of the problem of a variable since these have been omitted. Therefore, a unique measure of the incumbents' political quality has been used to help in testing the hypothesis and identify any possible relationships. The findings identify a gender-based quality gap which is also linked to gender parity in the success of elections.

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Gordon, Sanford C., and Dimitri Landa. 2009. "Do the Advantages of Incumbency Advantage Incumbents?" Journal of Politics 71:1481-9.

This research focuses on the identification of some of the longstanding presumptions that have been made about the advantage of incumbency. The authors show a need for this research by arguing that these presumptions are yet to be proven as facts, which will then assist in gaining a better understanding of the electoral process. The electoral consequence is measured as either positive or negative based on whether the incumbency advantage source impacts the entry or exit decisions of a candidate. Empirical and theoretical literature has been used to collect the data needed for this research. It is justified as the better option considering the fact that theoretical data will be enhanced by the empirical evidence. The conclusion suggests that tension may exist between varying sources of incumbency advantage.

Koch, Jeffrey W. 2000. "Do Citizens Apply Gender Stereotypes to Infer Candidates' Ideological Orientations?" Journal of Politics 62:414-29.

This research considers the research question of whether citizens employ the use of gender stereotypes to infer candidates' ideological orientations. The author shows a need for this research by considering previous research gaps that indicate a possible link between stereotyping and the citizen's preferred candidates. The research considers an analysis of data from the 1988-1990-1992 Pooled Senate Election Study. Therefore, existing data has been used as a source for this research. This method is used because it enables the collection of ideological orientations that have been held by citizens in relation to the candidates. The findings show that gender ideological stereotypes play a great role in creating a distance between a female candidate and the voters. Hence, people will most likely vote for the opponent who is a man.

Niven, David. 2006. "Throwing Your Hat Out of the Ring: Negative Recruitment and the Gender Imbalance in State Legislative Candidacy." Politics & Gender 2: 473-89.

This study focuses on the question of how to increase female candidacy and address the gender imbalance in the public office. The need for this research is proven by the argument that candidate dropouts are understudied, despite them being a crucial group. Candidates who won elections lost the race, or dropped out are all used to measure ideas. Election records for Florida in 2000 and 2002, alongside an original survey, are used to test the hypothesis. The use of primary and secondary sources is justified by the fact that a trend may be identified, which will be used to complement the findings of the primary survey. The findings show that women are no more likely to drop out of an election race, than their male counterparts. However, in districts where their party is strong, women are more likely to drop out. Hence, it is argued that political elites still prefer male leadership than females.

Palmer, Barbara, and Dennis Simon. 2005. "When Women Run against Women: The Hidden Influence of Female Incumbents in Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1956 2002." Politics & Gender 1:39-63.

This research focuses on the question of whether female incumbents face similar competition as male in the U.S House of Representatives. A need for research is shown by the researchers when they indicate that some scholars argue that a difference between races featuring male and female incumbents should be evident even though women have equal chances of winning as men. To measure ideas, House elections from 1956 to 2002 are considered for this research. Existing literature is used to collect information relating to stereotyping in campaigns. The hypothesis tests the link between gender and incumbency. This approach is justified because collecting primary evidence may be impossible as biasness will be enhanced. In conclusion, female incumbents face more competition than men and also tend to influence female candidates to participate in their own party.

Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2006. "Do Parties Know that 'Women Win?' Party Leader Beliefs about Women's Electoral Chances." Politics & Gender 2:431-50.

This research focuses on two questions. First, it analyses the belief that is held regarding the chances of women in elections. Second, it considers the perspective held by parties on women winning the elections. A need for research is shown when the authors insinuate that parties may not really understand the fact that women can win elections, even though they tend to endorse them for office. The state legislative election results are used to collect the total number of wins by women. The candidates' vote share and success rates are used to test the hypothesis. This approach is justified since sufficient data can be obtained to show a reliable trend. The findings suggest that scholars have overestimated the kind of support offered to female candidates by their voters.

Thomas, Melanie, and Marc A. Bodet. 2013. "Sacrificial Lambs, Women Candidates, and District Competitiveness in Canada." Electoral Studies 32:153-66.

This research is based on the question of whether women candidates are more likely to be used as sacrificial lambs in districts where the party does not stand a chance to win the elections. The authors have proven a need for research as they argue that previous research shows an almost similar trend. Data from the 2004-2011 Canadian federal elections have been used to measure the ideas. Therefore, secondary data has been used to test the hypothesis and check for any relationships between the variables. This approach has been justified by the need to collect specific election trends in Canada. The findings show that women's incumbent seats are not as secure as that of men. Additionally, the hypothesis is proven when district competitiveness is measured dynamically. Hence, these two factors can be used to further explain the underrepresentation of women in elections.