Citation

Eberhardt L, Merolla JL. J. Women Polit. Pol. 2017; 38(2): 103-127.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/1554477X.2016.1198652

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research has shown that male politicians are often stereotyped as stronger leaders than female politicians. This research, however, has taken a fairly narrow view of leadership. In the business organization literature, a leadership style called charismatic leadership is treated as a multidimensional concept, with feminine and masculine attributes. While scholarship has considered factors that shape perceptions of charisma, it has not looked at the effect of media presentations. This question became especially timely during the 2008 election. Using data from an experiment with voters in Los Angeles County, we show how media presentations impact the feminine and masculine components of Sarah Palin's charisma. In our analysis, we show that media presentations that highlight stereotypically feminine traits increase perceptions of Palin's feminine charisma, while those that highlight masculine traits have null effects on perceptions of Palin's masculine charisma. Partisanship moderates these effects. Moreover, as one might expect, increased perceptions of Palin as a charismatic figure increase positive feelings toward her as a candidate.

Language: en

Keywords

Charisma; charismatic leadership; feminine charisma; gender traits; leadership; masculine charisma; Sarah Palin; transformational leader