The Political Psychology of Women in U.S. Politics by Angela L. Bos & Monica C. Schneider

Author:Angela L. Bos & Monica C. Schneider [Bos, Angela L. & Schneider, Monica C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138683242
Google: Z78cDQEACAAJ
Goodreads: 30689779
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

Future Directions and Conclusion

This review of intersecting identities in this chapter pushes our analysis of gender in American politics. Future studies can incorporate more identity categories and experiences, such as sexual orientation, class, religion, immigrant status, age, and disability. Research can move beyond asking whether one identity trumps the other by continuing to expand on an intersectional analysis of gender and race/ethnicity, which can incorporate other overlapping and competing interests like sexual orientation. For example, political science scholars have engaged in unique examinations of group stereotypes for openly gay political candidates, by utilizing surveys asking the candidates/officials about their experiences (Golebiowska 2002) or by asking the public about their perception of the candidates (Doan and Haider-Markel 2010). This group stereotypes research can also be extended by analyzing the overlapping identity of race and ethnicity for openly LGBT political candidates and officials. In addition, Hunter’s (2013) sociological research has utilized national surveys, cultural criticism, and personal interviews to examine how racial and gender bias can be heightened by darker skin tones, which introduces an additional complexity to address for future intersectional research.

Another example of pushing the identity boundaries includes further research endeavors that seek to highlight the intersectional work of scholars. For example, the 2016 edited volume in political science Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics is not focused on highlighting political psychology research per se, however it is still guided in working towards pushing the boundaries of traditional political questions of race and gender identity (Brown and Gershon 2016). The featured authors in this volume focus their analysis on racial/ethnic minority women for a broader examination of intersecting gender, race, and ethnicity to our questions of political participation, campaigning for political office, and political representation. Overall, the highlighted work throughout the chapter speaks to the benefits of broadening the psychological foundations of identity theories, expanding the traditional political science understandings of the political environment, and charting future political psychology research that can encompass more comprehensive examinations of multiple and unique intersecting identities.

In terms of what to look for in future elections, we can continue to examine the political influence of intersecting identities. We know multiple identities—of voters and candidates—will prove salient in future political campaigns. The 2016 presidential campaign has only renewed our questions about the political impact of multiple identities, of which race, ethnicity, and gender are only a select few. We can look forward to the potential for more diverse candidates to enter the political arena, as well as recognize the critical role of diverse voters in influencing their success.

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