Document Type

Thesis

First Faculty Advisor

Thomas Roach

Second Faculty Advisor

Richard Holtzman

Keywords

women in politics; gender stereotypes; gender equality

Publisher

Bryant University

Rights Management

CC-BY-NC-SA

Abstract

Women only make up 28.5% of Congress even though they make up 50.5% of the population of the United States. This disparity indicates that there are significant barriers that female politicians face when they are running for office. To look for why, an extensive literature review was conducted that gave context about the gender stereotypes that female candidates face and how they navigate the male template of power. Using the material from the literature review, the campaigns of three women and three men who won their election in the recent 2022 midterms were analyzed. The candidate’s campaigns were then compared. It was found that gender played a role in the way they ran the candidates ran their campaigns. This affirms that the way power is viewed needs to be changed. Furthermore, regardless of one’s gender, everyone is limited by its constraints as it influences the way others see them.

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