Overview
What influences political behavior more -- one's gender or one's gendered personality traits? Certain gendered traits have long been associated with particular political leanings in American politics. For example, the Democratic Party is thought to have a compassionate, feminine nature while the Republican Party is deemed to have a tougher, more masculine nature. Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior, a first-of-its-kind analysis of the effects of individuals' gendered personality traits -- masculinity and femininity -- on their political attitudes and behavior, argues that gendered personalities, and not biological sex, are what drive the political behavior of individual citizens. Drawing on a groundbreaking national survey measuring gendered personality traits and political preferences, the book shows that individuals' levels of masculine and feminine personality traits help to determine their party identification, vote choice, ideology, and political engagement. And in conjunction with biological sex, these traits also influence attitudes about sex roles. For example, the more strongly an individual identifies with ""feminine"" characteristics, the more strongly they identify with the Democratic Party. Likewise, the more ""masculine"" an individual, the more they are drawn to the GOP. The book also demonstrates that, despite conventional wisdom, biological sex does not dictate gendered personalities. As such, the personality trait approach of the book moves gender and politics research well beyond the traditional male/female dichotomy. Moreover, Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior points to new and as yet underexplored strategies for candidate campaigns, get out the vote efforts, and officeholders' governing behavior.
Full Product Details
Author: Monika L McDermott (Associate Professor of Political Science, Associate Professor of Political Science, Fordham University)
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 1.50cm
, Length: 23.10cm
Weight: 0.408kg
ISBN: 9780190462819
ISBN 10: 0190462817
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 25 August 2016
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
[McDermott] moves us to a deeper understanding of how gender, not sex, matters, and closes with a provocative discussion of the role of masculinity in the 2016 presidential race that is sure to ignite productive classroom debate. Highly recommended. -- <em>CHOICE</em>
Monika L. McDermott focuses on a different dimension of gender and politics in Masculinity, Femininity, and American Political Behavior. Like Women on the Run, this text is data-rich and well sourced, reviewing much of the literature on personalities and political behavior and explaining the role of personality types and their interactions with partisan choices and engagement. - Professor Lilly J. Goren, Resources for Gender and Women's Studies: A Feminist Review
[McDermott] moves us to a deeper understanding of how gender, not sex, matters, and closes with a provocative discussion of the role of masculinity in the 2016 presidential race that is sure to ignite productive classroom debate. Highly recommended. -- CHOICE
[McDermott] moves us to a deeper understanding of how gender, not sex, matters, and closes with a provocative discussion of the role of masculinity in the 2016 presidential race that is sure to ignite productive classroom debate. Highly recommended. -- CHOICE
Author Information
Monika L. McDermott is Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University.
