Is it Gender, Religion or Both? A Survey Experiment on Voter Preferences in Transitional Tunisia
54 Pages Posted: 27 Aug 2013
Date Written: 2013
Abstract
Scholars, policymakers, and citizens express concern about the impact of gender and Islam on political participation. Despite the attention, many questions remain: do male or female, religious or secular candidates, compete on an equal playing field? How do gender and Islam interact to affect electability? If biases exist, what explains them? We explore these questions through an experiment embedded in the Tunisian Post-Election Survey (TPES). We find little support for expectations drawn from modernization theory; secular, well-educated Tunisians are not more likely to support female candidates than religious, less-educated citizens. However, role congruity theory receives support. Religious voters of both genders support religious, female candidates, while those of both genders and religious orientations who value female participation support secular, female candidates. Explicating the mechanisms underlying biases extends our theoretical understanding of the relationship between gender, religion, and politics, and provides theoretical and policy insights into how biases can be diminished.
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