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Abstract
Does electing female political leaders reduce gender stereotypes about leadership? Scholars know little about how the increasing presence of female executives alters gender stereotypes about political leadership. Some studies suggest gender stereotypes change slowly because they are embedded in cultural values and structural factors that reinforce traditional gender roles. Other research suggests stereotypes change more quickly with the increasing presence of female political leadership. We address this question by examining the effect of being governed by a female mayor in Mexico. We find that the presence of a current female mayor reduces gender stereotypes among males. However, past female mayors have little effect on current gender stereotypes about leadership. Our results suggest women must be present in executive offices more frequently to produce long-term change in gender stereotypes.
Keywords
women in politics, Latin American politics, gender stereotypes, gender quotas, Mexican politics, public opinion
Does electing female political leaders reduce gender stereotypes about leadership? Recent literature has sought to explain the small but growing number of women who obtain executive positions around the world (Escobar-Lemmon and Taylor-Robinson 2005; Jalalzai 2013; Murray 2010b; Reynolds 1999; Rose 2013). However, scholars know fairly little about how the increasing presence of female executives alters gender stereotypes about political leadership. Previous work on the influence of the increasing presence of women in political office has largely focused on female legislators and their influence on symbolic representation, although the evidence that female legislators increase symbolic representation is somewhat mixed (Atkeson and Carrillo 2007; Franceschet, Krook, and Piscopo 2012; Karp and Banducci 2008; Schwindt-Bayer 2010; Wolbrecht and Campbell 2007; Zetterberg 2009, 2012). One study finds the election of female village leaders in India can reduce male bias toward female leaders, although it is unclear whether these findings can be generalized to other contexts (Beaman et al. 2009).
Although a large, especially experimental, literature suggests gender stereotypes strongly influence the political process (Falk and Kenski 2006; Fox and Oxley 2003; Hedlund et al. 1979; Huddy and Terkildsen 1993a, 1993b; Lawless 2004; Sanbonmatsu 2002), previous studies are less clear regarding how stereotypes about female leadership change. Some studies suggest that gender stereotypes change slowly because they are embedded in cultural values (Chaney 1979; Norris and Inglehart 2001) or structural factors, such as level...