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Power, Conflict, and Community: How Gendered Views of Political Power Influence Women's Political Ambition
Author(s) -
Schneider Monica C.,
Holman Mirya R.,
Diekman Amanda B.,
McAndrew Thomas
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/pops.12268
Subject(s) - politics , framing (construction) , power (physics) , interpersonal communication , social psychology , perception , political science , promotion (chess) , psychology , political economy , sociology , law , physics , structural engineering , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , engineering
We provide a novel approach to understanding the political ambition gap between men and women by examining perceptions of the role of politician. Across three studies, we find that political careers are viewed as fulfilling power‐related goals, such as self‐promotion and competition. We connect these goals to a tolerance for interpersonal conflict and both of these factors to political ambition. Women's lack of interest in conflict and power‐related activities mediates the relationship between gender and political ambition. In an experiment, we show that framing a political career as fulfilling communal goals—and not power‐related goals—reduces the ambition gap.