Japanese researchers unmask hidden bias against female politicians
While there was no decline in support for masked male politicians, their female counterparts saw a significant drop, the survey showed
The findings, published last month ahead of Sunday’s general election, underscored the differences in how the public perceived politicians following the Covid-19 pandemic, when wearing masks became more common for politicians across the world.
“Differences in how masked faces are perceived could work against women candidates,” said Kiho Muroga, an associate professor on labour economics at Kyushu University, who jointly conducted the survey with Charles Crabtree, then affiliated with Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
She urged female politicians to figure out creative ways to communicate during election campaigning and asked voters to watch for bias in how they judge women politicians.
Respondents rated the images on a five-point scale for support, attractiveness, competence, intelligence, strength and trustworthiness.