Female Politicians, Corruption Scandals, and Political Trust in China

• In Event: Gender and Politics Research in China

Abstract

Previous research suggests that female politicians are often held to a higher standard by voters and are punished more harshly for failing to meet voters’ expectations in democracies. Does this gender-based public prejudice and double standard of evaluation also exist in non-democracies, and how do gender prejudice and stereotypes affect public trust in government in general? I plan to conduct a survey experiment in China in which respondents will be asked to read a short message about a corruption investigation. In this experiment, both the gender and the political rank of the investigated politician will be manipulated. I argue that if people hold the view that females are less corrupt than males, compared with their male counterparts, the revelation of corrupt female politicians will increase their perception of corruption in government and lower their political trust. I also hypothesize that the public will show different approval towards the official punishments imposed on male and female politicians. This study will extend our understanding of gender bias in politics and shed light on the political effects of gender prejudice in non-democracies.

Author

• Yixuan Zhang, University of Pittsburgh