Romance, Sexual Attraction, and Women's Political Ambition: Initial Findings from Two Experiments

Romance, Sexual Attraction, and Women's Political Ambition: Initial Findings from Two Experiments. Shauna Shames, Laura Lazarus Frankel & Nadia Farjood. Sexuality & Culture, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-017-9443-9

Abstract: This study develops and begins to test the hypothesis that considerations of romance and sexual attractiveness may impede women's expression of political ambition (in the sense of either interest in holding public office or willingness to disclose such interest). As this is a very new area of research, and as the subject is difficult to test, this study does not draw firm conclusions, but the initial data results suggest at least some support for the hypothesis. It does seem from these two experiments that politics makes one less popular as a date or mate choice, and that women who hypothetically hold office would be less likely to reveal that fact to a potential sexual or romantic partner. Further research is needed to both develop the measurements for this exciting new area of study and confirm these initial results.

Keywords: Politics Political ambition Public office Romance Sex Sexual attraction Attractiveness Attraction Experiments Dating Holding public office Running for office