Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-16T05:03:45.727Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Impact of Religion on Voting For Female Congressional Candidates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2015

Mark Setzler  and
Alixandra B. Yanus
Mark Setzler*
Affiliation:
High Point University
Alixandra B. Yanus*
Affiliation:
High Point University
*
Address correspondence to Mark Setzler, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: msetzler@highpoint.edu; or Alixandra B. Yanus, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: ayanus@highpoint.edu
Address correspondence to Mark Setzler, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: msetzler@highpoint.edu; or Alixandra B. Yanus, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: ayanus@highpoint.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Research shows that areas with high levels of aggregate religiosity are less likely to elect female candidates to national, state, and local offices. These studies, however, do not determine the causal mechanisms underlying this relationship. In the present analysis, we seek to examine what role, if any, religious exposure and tradition play in determining individuals’ general election vote choices in mixed-gender contests. To explore this relationship, we use data from the 2010 and 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Studies. We find some evidence of a relationship between religious beliefs and voting for female congressional candidates; when compared to secular voters, evangelical Protestants and Catholics are more likely to vote for Republican women and less likely to support Democratic women. Our results, however, also underscore partisan identities’ central role in shaping individual vote choice, regardless of a candidate's gender.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 679 - 698
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERNCES

Adkins, Todd, Layman, Geoffrey, Campbell, David, and Green, John. 2013. “Religious Group Cues and Citizen Policy Attitudes in the United States.” Politics and Religion 6:235–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen. 2010. CCES Common Content 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1902.1/17705 (Accessed on January 4, 2012).Google Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Schaffner, Brian. 2012. “CCES Common Content, 2012.” http://hdl.handle.net/1902.1/21447 UNF:5:mMbfa1Vn45NxO7I6aZPicg (Accessed on February 6, 2014).Google Scholar
Blouin, David D., Robinson, Robert V., and Starks, Brian. 2013. “Are Religious People More Compassionate and Does This Matter Politically?” Politics and Religion 6:618–645.Google Scholar
Brint, Steven, and Abrutyn, Seth. 2010. “Who's Right about the Right? Comparing Competing Explanations of the Link between White Evangelicals and Conservative Politics in the United States.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 49:328–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calfano, Brian R., and Djupe, Paul A.. 2011. “Not in His Image: The Moderating Effect of Gender on Religious Appeals.” Politics and Religion 4:338–354.Google Scholar
Campbell, David E., Green, John C., and Layman, Geoffrey C.. 2011. “The Party Faithful: Partisan Images, Candidate Religion, and the Electoral Impact of Party Identification.” American Journal of Political Science 55:42–58.Google Scholar
CBE International. 2007. U.S. Denominations and their Stances on Women in Leadership. Minneapolis, MN: Christians for Biblical Equality International.Google Scholar
Clarkson, Frederick. 2013. “Christian Right Seeks Renewal in Deepening Catholic-Protestant Alliance.” http://www.politicalresearch.org/2013/07/23/christian-right-seeks-renewal-in-deepening-catholic-protestant-alliance/# (Accessed on March 1, 2014).Google Scholar
Davis, Shannon N., and Greenstein, Theodore N.. 2009. “Gender Ideology: Components, Predictors, and Consequences.” Annual Review of Sociology 35:87–105.Google Scholar
Deckman, Melissa. 2010. “Women as Leaders in Protestant Denominations.” In Gender and Women's Leadership: A Reference Handbook, ed. O'Connor, Karen. New York, NY: Sage, 544–554.Google Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen. 2014. “Gender Stereotypes, Candidate Evaluations, and Voting for Women Candidates: What Really Matters?” Political Research Quarterly 67:96–107.Google Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen A., and Lynch, Timothy. 2014. “It Takes a Survey: Understanding Gender Stereotypes, Abstract Attitudes, and Voting for Women Candidates.” American Politics Research 42:656–676.Google Scholar
Domke, David, and Coe, Kevin. 2008. The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Driskell, Robyn, Embry, Elizabeth, and Lyon, Larry. 2008. “Faith and Politics: The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Political Participation.” Social Science Quarterly 89:294–314.Google Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A. 2014. “When Gender Matters: Macro-Dynamics and Micro-Mechanisms.” Political Behavior 36:605–630.Google Scholar
Hayes, Danny. 2011. “When Gender and Party Collide: Stereotyping in Candidate Trait Attribution.” Politics and Gender 7:133–165.Google Scholar
Hunt, Mary E. 2010. “Women as Leaders in Catholicism.” In Gender and Women's Leadership: A Reference Handbook, ed. O'Connor, Karen. New York, NY: Sage, 490–495.Google Scholar
Inglehart, Ronald, Norris, Pippa, and Welzel, Christian. 2002. “Gender Equality and Democracy.” Comparative Sociology 1:321–345.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Karen M. 2002. “Culture Wars, Secular Realignment, and the Gender Gap in Party Identification.” Political Behavior 24:283–307.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard L.. 2010. It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Layman, Geoffrey C. 1997. “Religion and Political Behavior in the United States: The Impact of Beliefs, Affiliations, and Commitment from 1980 to 1994.” Public Opinion Quarterly 61:288–316.Google Scholar
Lockerbie, Brad. 2013. “Race and Religion: Voting Behavior and Political Attitudes.” Social Science Quarterly 94:1145–1158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, Brian D., and Rouse, Stella M.. 2013. “Shades of Faith: Religious Foundations of Political Attitudes among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites.” American Journal of Political Science 57:218–235.Google Scholar
Merolla, Jennifer, Schroedel, Jean Reith, and Holman, Mirya Rose. 2007. “The Paradox of Protestantism and Women in Elected Office in the United States.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 29:77–100.Google Scholar
Olson, Laura, and Warber, Adam. 2008. “Belonging, Behaving, and Believing: Assessing the Role of Religion on Presidential Approval.” Political Research Quarterly 31:192–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ondercin, Heather L., and Welch, Susan. 2009. “Comparing Predictors of Women's Congressional Election Success Candidates, Primaries, and the General Election.” American Politics Research 37:593–613.Google Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis M.. 2006. Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional Elections. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.Google Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis M.. 2012. Women and Congressional Elections: A Century of Change. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Palmer, Anna. 2014. “Evangelicals Road Test 2016 Strategy.” http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/evangelicals-2016-election-strategy-112050.html (Accessed on October 20, 2014).Google Scholar
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. 2008. U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center. 2008. A Paradox in Public Attitudes: Men or Women: Who's the Better Leader? Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.Google Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira, and Dolan, Kathleen. 2009. “Do Gender Stereotypes Transcend Party?” Political Research Quarterly 62:485–494.Google Scholar
Setzler, Mark. Forthcoming. “Religious Differences among Congressional Districts and the Success of Women Candidates.” Politics & Gender.Google Scholar
Setzler, Mark, and Yanus, Alixandra B.. Forthcoming. “Evangelical Protestantism and Bias against Female Political Leaders.” Social Science Quarterly.Google Scholar
Smidt, Corwin, Kellstedt, Lyman, and Guth, James. 2009. “The Role of Religion in American Politics: Explanatory Theories and Associated Analytical and Measurement Issues.” In The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics, eds. Smidt, Corwin, Kellstedt, Lyman, and Guth, James. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3–42.Google Scholar
Smith, Lauren E., and Walker, Lee Demetrius. 2013. “Belonging, Believing, and Group Behavior: Religiosity and Voting in American Presidential Elections.” Political Research Quarterly 66:399–413.Google Scholar
Steensland, Brian, Robinson, Lynn D., and Wilcox, Bradford. 2000. “The Measure of American Religion: Toward Improving The State of the Art.” Social Forces 79:291–318.Google Scholar
Vogel, Kenneth P. 2014. “Social Conservatives Make Big Money Plans.” http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/ (Accessed on April 14, 2012).Google Scholar
Vandenbosch, Sue. 1996. “A Negative Relationship between Religion and the Percentage of Women State Legislators in the United States.” Journal of Legislative Studies 2:322–338.Google Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L. 2012. “Gender Ideology and Religion: Does a Masculine Image of God Matter?” Review of Religious Research 54:139–156.Google Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L. 2013. “Gendered Organizations and Inequality Regimes: Gender, Homosexuality, and Inequality within Religious Congregations.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 52:476–493.Google Scholar
Wilcox, W. Bradford, Chaves, Mark, and Franz, David. 2004. “Focused on the Family? Religious Traditions, Family Discourse, and Pastoral Practice.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 43:491–504.Google Scholar