Gender, diversity and the 2020 US presidential election: towards an androgynous presidential profile?
Gender in Management
; 37(7):785-800, 2022.
Article
in English
| ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-1992483
ABSTRACT
Purpose>The purpose of this study was to explore issues of gender and diversity raised by the 2020 US presidential election.Design/methodology/approach>Samples from two populations (n = 667) described either an ideal president or one of the major-party candidates for president (Donald Trump and Joe Biden) or vice president (Mike Pence and Kamala Harris) on an instrument that assessed self-ascribed masculinity and femininity. Androgyny was calculated as the difference between masculinity and femininity;the closer the score to zero, the more androgynous the candidate.Findings>The ideal president was viewed as androgynous (i.e. balanced in masculine and feminine traits) rather than masculine as in previous studies of presidential leadership. Compared to the White male candidates, Harris, a woman of color, displayed the most androgynous profile. The Democratic ticket represented a “balanced” team, with one candidate (Biden) higher on femininity and the other (Harris) higher on masculinity;in essence, an androgynous ticket. In contrast, the Republican ticket (Trump and Pence) represented a decidedly masculine ticket. Ideal president profiles differed according to respondents’ gender and preferred president.Practical implications>The Democrats winning the election with an androgynous ticket suggests that a more level playing field for female vis-à-vis male candidates for political leader roles may be arriving.Originality/value>The finding of an ideal president as androgynous rather than masculine is an original contribution to the literature on presidential leadership.
Business And Economics; Androgyny; Political leadership; Leader prototypes; Gender; Diversity; Women; Presidential elections; Coronaviruses; Congressional elections; Masculinity; Biden, Joseph R Jr; Harris, Kamala; United States--US; Trump, Donald J; 92111:Executive Offices; 92112:Legislative Bodies
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
ProQuest Central
Language:
English
Journal:
Gender in Management
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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