Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T08:15:26.578Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Modern Sexism and the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: Reassessing the Casualties of the “War on Women”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2017

Elizabeth N. Simas
Affiliation:
University of Houston
Marcia Bumgardner
Affiliation:
University of Houston

Extract

The 2012 contest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney included fierce dialogue about women and issues typically connected to them. The inflammatory comments that conservative radio-show host Rush Limbaugh made about female law student Sandra Fluke and the Affordable Health Care Act's (ACA) requirements that all workplaces cover contraceptives were central topics in the news. The controversy literally followed Romney in the form of “Pillamina,” a human-sized costume designed to look like a pack of birth control pills that shadowed the candidate's summer swing state tour. While “Pillamina” was the work of Planned Parenthood's Action Fund, the Obama campaign also took aim at Romney on this issue, running a television commercial featuring “Dawn and Alex,” two women talking about how out of touch Romney is with women's health issues. The Romney campaign's attempts to counter these attacks and shift the focus of conversation were largely thwarted, as questionable comments from Republican Senate candidates Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock brought the issue of abortion to the forefront. Both of these statements added fuel to the narrative that Republicans are out of touch with women's needs. And Romney himself contributed to the problem, as his notorious “binders full of women” debate response broadened the scope of the issue from reproductive rights to more general issues about gender equality. Altogether, these Republican comments and positions opened the door for Democrats on the campaign trail to attack the party, and a popular conclusion is that this “War on Women” narrative hurt the Republican Party and played an integral part in Obama's victory.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, Mary R., Lewis, Christopher J., and Baird, Chardie L.. 2011. “Punishment or Reward? An Experiment on the Effects of Sex and Gender Issues on Candidate Choice.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 32 (2): 136–57.Google Scholar
Becker, Julia C., and Swim, Janet K.. 2011. “Seeing the Unseen: Attention to Daily Encounters with Sexism as Way to Reduce Sexist Beliefs.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 35 (2): 227–42.Google Scholar
Becker, Julia C., and Swim, Janet K.. 2012. “Reducing Endorsement of Benevolent and Modern Sexist Beliefs: Differential Effects of Addressing Harm Versus Pervasiveness of Benevolent Sexism.” Social Psychology 43 (3):127–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bendyna, Mary E., and Lake, Celinda C.. 1994. “Gender and Voting in the 1992 Presidential Election.” In The Year of the Woman: Myths and Realities, ed. Adell Cook, Elizabeth, Thomas, Sue, and Wilcox, Clyde. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 237–54.Google Scholar
Beauvois, Jean-Leon, and Dubois, Nicole. 1988. “The Norm of Internality in the Explanation of Psychological Events.” European Journal of Social Psychology 18 (4): 299316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bosson, Jennifer K., Vandello, Joseph A., Michniewicz, Kenneth S., and Guy Lenes, Joshua. 2012. American Men's and Women's Beliefs about Gender Discrimination: For Men, it's not Quite a Zero Sum. Masculinidades y Cambio Social 1 (3): 210.Google Scholar
Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M., De Boef, Suzanna, and Lin, Tse-min. 1997. “Macroideology, Macropartisanship, and the Gender Gap.” Presented at Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Burns, Nancy, and Gallagher, Katherine. 2010. “Public Opinion on Gender Issues: The Politics of Equity and Roles.” Annual Review of Political Science 13: 425–43.Google Scholar
Carden, Marion. 1977. Feminism in the Mid-1970s: The Non-Establishment, the Establishment, and the Future New York: Ford Foundation.Google Scholar
Carlin, Diana, and Winfrey, Kelly. 2009. “Have You Come a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage.” Communication Studies 60 (4): 326–43.Google Scholar
Cassese, Erin, Barnes, Tiffany, and Branton, Regina. 2015. “Racializing Gender: Public Opinion at the Intersection.” Politics & Gender 11 (1): 126.Google Scholar
Chaney, Carole Kennedy, Michael Alvarez, R., and Nagler, Jonathan. 1998. “Explaining the Gender Gap in US Presidential Elections, 1980–1992.” Political Research Quarterly 51 (2): 311–39.Google Scholar
Cole, Elizabeth. 2009. “Intersectionality and Research in Psychology.” American Psychologist 64 (3): 170–80.Google Scholar
Collins, Patricia Hill. 2000. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Conover, Pamela Johnston. 1988. “Feminists and the Gender Gap.” The Journal of Politics 50 (4): 9851010.Google Scholar
Cook, Elizabeth Adell, and Wilcox, Clyde. 1991. “Feminism and the Gender Gap—A Second Look.” The Journal of Politics 53 (4): 1111–22.Google Scholar
Deckman, Melissa, and McTague, John. 2015. “Did the ‘War on Women’ Work? Women, Men, and the Birth Control Mandate in the 2012 Presidential Election.” American Politics Research 43 (1): 326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diekman, Amanda B., and Schneider, Monica C.. 2010. “A Social Role Theory Perspective on Gender Gaps in Political Attitudes.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 34 (4): 486–97.Google Scholar
Dubois, Nicole, and Beauvois, Jean-Léon. 1996. “Internality, Academic Status and Intergroup Attributions.” European Journal of Psychology of Education 11 (3): 329–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, Caitline, Stevens, Daniel, Sullivan, John, and Allen, Barbara. 2009. “Racism, Sexism and Candidate Evaluations in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.” Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 9 (1): 223–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eagly, Alice, and Mladinic, Antonio. 1989. “Gender Stereotypes and Attitudes toward Women and Men.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 15 (4): 543–58.Google Scholar
Edsall, Thomas, and Edsall, Mary. 1991. Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics. New York: W.W. Norton.Google Scholar
Gelb, Joyce, and Palley, Marian Lief. 1982. Women and Public Policies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Gilens, Martin. 1988. “Gender and Support for Reagan: A Comprehensive Model of Presidential Approval.” American Journal of Political Science 32 (1): 1949.Google Scholar
Gilligan, Carol. 1982. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Glick, Peter, and Fiske, Susan. 2001. “Ambivalent Sexism.” Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 33: 115–88.Google Scholar
Glick, Peter, Fiske, Susan, Mladinic, Antonio, Saiz, Jose, Abrams, Dominic, Masser, Barbara, and Lopez, Wilson Lopez. 2000. “Beyond Prejudice as Simple Antipathy: Hostile and Benevolent Sexism across Cultures.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79 (5): 763–75.Google Scholar
Hall, Elaine J., and Rodriguez, Marine Salupo. 2003. “The Myth of Postfeminism.” Gender and Society 17 (6): 878902.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huddy, Leonie, Neely, Francis K., and Lafay, Marilyn R.. 2000. “Trends: Support for the Women's Movement”. Public Opinion Quarterly 64 (3): 309–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jost, John T., Wakslak, Cheryl J., and Tyler, Tom R.. 2008. “System Justification Theory and the Alleviation of Emotional Distress.” In Justice: Advances in Group Processes, vol. 25, ed. Hegtvedt, Karen and Clay-Warner, Jody. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Group Limited, 181–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kam, Cindy D. 2009. “Gender and Economic Voting, Revisited.” Electoral Studies 28 (4): 615–24.Google Scholar
Kauffman, Karen M. 2006. “The Gender Gap.” PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (3): 447–53.Google Scholar
Kauffman, Karen M., and Petrocik, John R.. 1999. “The Changing Politics of American Men: Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap.” American Journal of Political Science 43 (3): 864–87Google Scholar
Kehn, Andre, and Ruthig, Joelle C.. 2013. “Perceptions of Gender Discrimination across Six Decades: The Moderating Roles of Gender and Age.” Sex Roles 69: 289296.Google Scholar
Kilianski, Stephen E., and Rudman, Laurie A..1998. “Wanting it Both Ways: Do Women Approve of Benevolent Sexism?Sex Roles 39 (5–6): 333352.Google Scholar
King, Deborah. 1988. “Multiple Jeopardy, Multiple Consciousness: The Context of a Black Feminist Ideology.” Signs 14 (1): 4272.Google Scholar
Klein, Ethel. 1984. Gender Politics: From Consciousness to Mass Politics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1985. “Myth and Reality: The ERA and the Gender Gap in the 1980 Election.” Public Opinion Quarterly 49 (2): 164–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manza, Jeff, and Brooks, Clem. 1998. “The Gender Gap in U.S. Presidential Elections: When? Why? Implications?American Journal of Sociology 103 (5): 1253–66.Google Scholar
May, Ann Mari, and Stephenson, Kurt. 1994. “Women and the Great Retrenchment: The Political Economy of Gender in the 1980s.” Journal of Economic Issues 28 (2): 533–42.Google Scholar
Meeks, Lindsey. 2013. “All the Gender that's Fit to Print: How the New York Times Covered Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin in 2008.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 90 (3): 520–39.Google Scholar
Mendelberg, Tali. 2001. The Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
McThomas, Mary, and Tesler, Michael. 2016. “The Growing Influence of Gender Attitudes on Public Support for Hillary Clinton, 2008–2012.” Politics & Gender 12 (1): 2849.Google Scholar
Piven, Frances Fox. 1985. “Women and the State: Ideology, Power, and the Welfare State”. In Gender and the Course, ed. Rossi, Alice S.. New York: Aldine Publishing Company, 265–87.Google Scholar
Rivers, Carly, and Barnett, Rosilind. 2013. The New Soft War on Women: How the Myth of Female Ascendance is Hurting Women, Men, and our Economy. New York: Tarcher/Penguin.Google Scholar
Ruddick, Sara. 1983. “Maternal Thinking.” In Mothering, ed. Trebilcot, Joyce. Totowa, NJ: Rowan & Allanheld.Google Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2002. Democrats, Republicans, and the Politics of Women's Place. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Schaffner, Brian F. 2005. “Priming Gender: Campaigning on Women's Issues in US Senate Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 49 (4): 803–17.Google Scholar
Sears, David. 1988. “Symbolic Racism.” In Eliminating Racism: Profiles in Controversy, ed. Katz, Phyllis A. and Taylor, Dalmas A.. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Sibley, Chris G., Overall, Nickola C., and Duckitt, John. 2007. “When Women Become More Hostilely Sexist Toward their Gender: The System-Justifying Effect of Benevolent Sexism.” Sex Roles 57 (9–10): 743–54.Google Scholar
Sides, John, and Vavrek, Lynn. 2013. The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Sigel, Roberta S. 1996. Ambition & Accommodation: How Women View Gender Relations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Simien, Evelyn, and Hancock, Ange-Marie. 2011. “Mini-Symposium: Intersectionality Research.” Political Research Quarterly 64 (1): 185–86.Google Scholar
Skok, James E. 1989. “Gender Differences in Public Policy Attitudes.” Commonwealth: A Journal of Political Science 3 (1): 84102.Google Scholar
Swim, Janet K., Aikin, Kathryn J., Hall, Wayne S., and Hunter, Barbara A.. 1995. “Sexism and Racism: Old-Fashioned and Modern Prejudices.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 68 (2): 199214.Google Scholar
Swim, Janet, and Cohen, Laurie. 1997. “Overt, Covert, and Subtle Sexism: A Comparison between the Attitudes toward Women and Modern Sexism Scales.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 21 (1): 103–18.Google Scholar
Tate, Charlotte. 2014. “Resentment of Paternalism as System Change Sentiment: Hostile Sexism toward Men and Actual Behavior in the 2008 US Presidential Election.” The Journal of Social Psychology 154 (1): 2839.Google Scholar
Uscinski, Joseph, and Goren, Lily. 2011. “What's in a Name? Coverage of Senator Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic Primary.” Political Research Quarterly 64 (4): 884–96.Google Scholar
Welch, Susan, and Hibbing, John. 1992. “Financial Conditions, Gender, and Voting in American National Elections.” Journal of Politics 54 (1): 197213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkins, Clara L., Wellman, Joseph D., Babbitt, Laura G., Toosi, Negin R., and Schad, Katherine D.. 2015. “You Can Win but I Can't Lose: Bias against High-Status Groups Increases their Zero-Sum Beliefs about Discrimination.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 57 (1): 114.Google Scholar
Wirls, Daniel. 1986. “Reinterpreting the Gender Gap.” Public Opinion Quarterly 50 (3): 316–30.Google Scholar
Yoder, Janice, and McDonald, Theodore. 1997. “The Generalizability and Construct Validity of the Modern Sexism Scale: Some Cautionary Notes.” Sex Roles 36 (3): 655–63.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Simas and Bumgardner supplementary material

Appendix A and B

Download Simas and Bumgardner supplementary material(File)
File 22 KB