Gender, diversity and the 2020 US presidential election: towards an androgynous presidential profile?

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore issues of gender and diversity raised by the 2020 US presidential election.Design/methodology/approachSamples from two populations (n= 667) described either an ideal president or one of the major-party candidates for president (Donald Trump and Joe Biden) or vice president (Mike Pence and Kamala Harris) on an instrument that assessed self-ascribed masculinity and femininity. Androgyny was calculated as the difference between masculinity and femininity; the closer the score to zero, the more androgynous the candidate.FindingsThe ideal president was viewed as androgynous (i.e. balanced in masculine and feminine traits) rather than masculine as in previous studies of presidential leadership. Compared to the White male candidates, Harris, a woman of color, displayed the most androgynous profile. The Democratic ticket represented a “balanced” team, with one candidate (Biden) higher on femininity and the other (Harris) higher on masculinity; in essence, an androgynous ticket. In contrast, the Republican ticket (Trump and Pence) represented a decidedly masculine ticket. Ideal president profiles differed according to respondents’ gender and preferred president.Practical implicationsThe Democrats winning the election with an androgynous ticket suggests that a more level playing field for femalevis-à-vismale candidates for political leader roles may be arriving.Originality/valueThe finding of an ideal president as androgynous rather than masculine is an original contribution to the literature on presidential leadership.