How We Present the Political Gender Gap Matters

"Gender disparity in political leadership is seldom cast as the overrepresentation of men (71 percent in the United States and worldwide). Rather, in public discourse, the gender imbalance in positions of power is framed as the underrepresentation of women. Social psychologists at the New York University Social Perception, Action, and Motivation Lab find in their 2024 study, "Women underrepresented or men overrepresented?" Framing the gender gap in political leadership as "men's overrepresentation" heightens emotional reactions and motivates efforts for change."

"The researchers suggest that flipping the percentages has a significant impact on attitudes and action because people may have become habituated to reports of the disparity. Lab director Emily Balcetis explains, "While most Americans acknowledge that gender diversity in leadership is important, taking the same statistics, that 29 percent of Congress is female, and saying instead that 71 percent of Congress is male, elicits stronger emotional responses and spurs people to do something to increase access to leadership for men and women.""

Gender disparity in political leadership is often presented as women’s underrepresentation despite men holding about 71 percent of positions. Presenting the imbalance as men's overrepresentation elicits stronger emotional responses and greater perceptions of injustice. Recasting statistics from '29 percent women' to '71 percent men' increases anger among women and motivates collective action and policy support to expand access to leadership. Habituation to the conventional underrepresentation framing may reduce urgency. Emphasizing majority overrepresentation can therefore function as an effective framing strategy to spur efforts to narrow the leadership gender gap.

Read at Psychology Today