Does Exposure to Powerful Women Reduce Prejudice?
A provocative piece from the folks at Mental Floss. Here is an excerpt:
“In July 2006, women accounted for just under 17% of parliamentarians worldwide. A woman was the head of government in only seven countries.” This could be due to short supply, higher cost of entry due to family, or to voter attitude, which previous research has found may be “distaste” for female leadership.
Researchers at the Center for International Development at Harvard have found that voters, men in particular, are prejudiced against female leaders. At least those in certain villages in India, where the 73rd Amendment mandates that at least 1/3 of government positions be filled by women. This mandate allowed the researchers to study the attitude toward female leaders and how exposure to female leadership changed those attitudes.
Read more at: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/18230