The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate if the gender of a political party leader affects the attitudes that male and female voters have towards him or her, with hope to contribute to the research field regarding voting behavior in parliamentary democracies. The hypothesis, which is derived from previous research on the field, is that men have a more positive attitude towards male party leaders than woman have, while women have a more positive attitude towards female party leaders than men have. To test the hypothesis, large amounts of data from a Swedish election research project (Svensk Valundersökning) is being examined. Specific data regarding male and female voters’ attitudes towards the party leaders Lars Werner (Left Party) 1991, Gudrun Schyman (Left Party) 1994, Lennart Daléus (Center Party) 1998 and Maud Olofsson (Center Party) 2002, is being analyzed through multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study are that for the party leaders of the Left party, there is a statistically significant correlation that male voters are more positively set towards the male party leader Lars Werner, while female voters are more positively set towards the female party leader Gudrun Schyman. However, for the party leaders of the Center Party, no statistically significant correlation was found between sharing the sex of the party leader and having a more positive attitude towards him or her. This implies that the hypothesis is in need of supplementation, which is why alternative theories are brought up and discussed in the final parts of the study. This study can serve as a foundation for future research on male and female voter behavior, and the significance of the gender of a party leader.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-412222 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Wallén, Johanna |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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