Understanding How Women Vote: Gender Identity and Political Choices

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Uncovering the psychological and sociological reasons for the gender gap in American politics, this fascinating volume explores how such factors influence women and lead to their political beliefs and behaviors. Based on original research with women voters of varying ages around the United States from 2008 to the present, the book delves into differences between voting women and menand indeed among women themselves. The gender gap, the author argues, exists because women's social identity is tied to their group memberships and gender-role beliefs. Thus, rather than grouping all women into one voting bloc, the book examines how gender identity influences various sub-groups of women. It begins with a discussion of the gender gap in voting preferences throughout history, then goes on to explore the roles of feminism and women's connectedness to their gender group as a primary cause of the gender gap in voting. The remaining chapters discuss how these factors influence women's political engagement, policy positions, and candidate preferences.

Reviews

Kelly L. Winfrey successfully complicates singular narratives about women voters while providing evidence that gender identity and group consciousness have influential effects on women's political beliefs and behaviors across party and ideological lines. Her findings should compel both scholars and practitioners to re-evaluate assumptions about how gender informs women's political evaluations and engagement. * Kelly Dittmar, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers-Camden and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers-New Brunswick, USA *
Understanding How Women Vote provides a wealth of information regarding gender differences in electoral behavior and examines the variations that exist among women who have different levels of group identification and hold different gender-role beliefs. The wide-ranging and comprehensive scope of Kelly L. Winfreys analysis and the illuminating differences she finds between more traditional and more feminist women make this book indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand the role of women voters in contemporary American politics. * Susan J. Carroll, Professor of Political Science and Senior Scholar, Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University, USA *

Author Bio

Kelly L. Winfrey is assistant professor at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication and faculty with the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University, USA.