See Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin Run? Party, Ideology, and the Influence of Female Role Models on Young Women

• Published in: Political research quarterly Vol. 68; no. 4; pp. 716 - 731
• Main Authors: Mariani, Mack, Marshall, Bryan W., Mathews-Schultz, A. Lanethea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.12.2015; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Clinton, Hillary Rodham; Elections; Females; Ideology; Men; Palin, Sarah; Partisanship; Pelosi, Nancy; Political campaigns; Political candidates; Political elections; Political participation; Political parties; Political partisanship; Political representation; Political systems; Presidential candidates; Presidential elections; Role models; United States; Womens studies; Young adults; Youth; United States > US; political psychology; Hillary Clinton; symbolic representation; ideology; role models; partisanship; women in politics; Nancy Pelosi; female governors; Sarah Palin; role-model effect; political socialization; political participation; female senators; descriptive representation; U.S. politics
• ISSN: 1065-9129; 1938-274X
• DOI: 10.1177/1065912915605904

Previous research suggests that women's descriptive representation may have a role-modei effect on young women, encouraging them to greater levels of political participation. Using data from the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Survey of Political and Civic Engagement of Young People, we examine whether highly visible female role models like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin, and viable female candidates for governor and senator had a role-model effect on young women. At the national level, we find some evidence of a role-model effect resulting from the election of Speaker Pelosi and the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton, but the effects are largely concentrated among young women who are Democratic and liberal. We find little evidence that Sarah Palin's vice-presidential run had a role-model effect on young women, regardless of party or ideology. Our state-level analysis of viable female gubernatorial and senatorial candidates finds that role-model effects on young women and men are mediated in different ways by ideology and, to a lesser extent, party.