Citizens' Ambivalence Toward Female Politicians: Why Ambivalence Matters For Gender Equality In A Democracy

This study investigated citizens' ambivalence toward female politicians and how valenced information about the politician helps them resolve their ambivalence, making them form polarized attitudes toward the candidate. Our study's participants felt stronger ambivalence toward a female candidate than a male candidate; those feeling stronger ambivalence reported more one-sided thoughts about and more extreme evaluation of the candidate, but only when the candidate was a woman. Citizens were also more easily persuaded by valenced information to resolve their ambivalence about the female candidate. On the basis of our findings, we discuss the politico-psychological process underlying citizens' ambivalence toward female politicians and how it is related with the gender-equal democracy.