From unfit to fresh perspectives

Over the last centuries, views on women in politics have changed considerably. For a long time, women were mainly seen as mothers: they had to stay at home to care and clean. They were said to be unfit for politics. These kinds of negative stereotypes kept women away from positions of power.

Tudor: 'Later, this view changed. In the course of the 20th century, people actually began to see advantages in the stereotypical characteristics of women. They brought something new to politics with their caring nature. Women's 'new' perspective was considered especially valuable in local politics and when it came to issues such as education, health care and wellfare.'

The empathetic woman and the selfish man

Over time, the image of women in top positions has become a lot more positive, Van der Pas explains: ‘Nowadays in the US, women are seen as empathetic, honorable and competent leaders. Men are more often labelled power-hungry, manipulative and selfish. At the moment, the image of men as leaders is a lot more cynical than that of women.'

Does gender still matter in 2024?

Whether gender really still has an impact is hard to say. 'When Biden announced that Harris would become the Democratic nominee, there was a small drop in support among working-class men from minority groups. But we don't know yet what caused this,' Tudor explains. According to Van der Pas, voters ultimately pay most attention to policies and character traits. 'Female voters are slightly more likely to vote for a woman, but the difference is minimal.' In America, Tudor does see a difference right now: ‘Polling in the US right now suggests that young American women are a lot more likely to support Harris than young American men.’

The issues that are central to an election campaign may influence the chances for a female candidate, though. Van der Pas: 'If there is a strong emphasis on health care or education during a campaign, it is generally an advantage for female candidates. If an issue like terrorism takes centre stage, people are more likely to choose a man.'

The 'childless cat lady' does not fit the stereotype

When Kamala Harris had just been elected the Democratic candidate for the presidential elections, VP candidate JD Vance made a striking comment: he referred to Harris as a 'childless cat lady'. It’s quite possible that Vance’s remark struck a chord with certain voters,’ Tudor explains. 'Nowadays, female political leaders are valued for their caring nature as mothers. Vance emphasises here that Harris does not fit that stereotypical image.’

US versus Europe

On 5 November, only two candidates stand a serious chance: Harris and Trump. As a result, gender is unlikely to play a major role in Americans' voting choices, Van der Pas explains: 'For Americans, it is a very big step to switch parties; the Democratic and Republican candidates are far apart in terms of views. So there is little likelihood of a voter switching parties purely because of a candidate's gender.’

In many European countries, the situation is different. 'In the Netherlands, for example, we have much more choice due to a broader selection of parties, and the differences between parties are smaller. This makes it more likely that voters do include gender in their consideration.’

Still work to be done

If gender hardly matters in people's voting choices, does that mean that feminism is almost 'finished'? 'There are still fewer women than men in important positions, and the pay gap has not disappeared either,' Tudor emphasises. 'This is even more true for women of colour, for example. Moreover, old ideas about women are resurfacing on social media, such as that they should return to their 'basic role' as housewives. This may affect society and therefore politics. So in recent decades, we have seen progress, but there is still work to be done.’