Women in the United States remain underrepresented across all levels of government, despite improvements in recent years. Previous research indicates that the gender gap in political ambition explains much of this discrepancy, as women are less likely to run for office than similarly qualified men. However, once a woman has decided to launch a campaign, prior findings are mixed on whether certain messaging strategies improve her chances of electoral success. Women candidates continue to face obstacles due to the masculine stereotypes associated with political roles, but they can overcome these challenges by presenting themselves to voters as effective leaders. Sponsoring political advertisements provides women with the opportunity to shape their public image directly, emphasizing certain key traits and issues. Past studies of gender and political advertising have found more similarities than differences in men and women's campaign messages, but this research is in need of updating given the recent surge in women running for office and the heightened salience of gender dynamics in the current political climate. This thesis combines observational and experimental methods to identify gender differences in political advertising from 2012-2018 and to determine whether these messaging strategies influence voters' opinions. Using data from the Wesleyan Media Project, I find that men referenced their personal ties to the community at higher rates, whereas women mentioned healthcare policy more frequently. After testing the causal effects of these gendered appeals using a nationally representative survey, I find that women benefit most from combining information about their personal community ties and their healthcare issue priorities. These results suggest that balancing personal and policy-focused appeals could positively impact women candidates and help increase women's representation in government moving forward.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 23570