Would Hillary Clinton Be Higher in the Polls if She Were a Man?
At the Democratic National Convention this July, Hillary Clinton will make history when she becomes the first female presidential nominee from a major political party. But with a woman closer to clinching the White House than ever before, a new survey from Cosmopolitan.com, conducted in partnership with John Della Volpe, CEO of SocialSphere and director of polling at the Harvard Institute for Politics, shows that nearly half of the site's readers still believe that Clinton would be higher in the polls if she were a man.
According to the survey of nearly 1,200 women between the ages of 18 and 34 who said they are highly likely to vote in the upcoming election, selected randomly from among Cosmopolitan.com newsletter subscribers, 47 percent say that if Clinton were a man, she would be higher in the polls, while 18 percent say she would be lower in the polls and 35 percent say there would be no difference.
"I think there are still a good number of people out there who don't want a female president," said Rachel Echevarria, 20, a student in Pennsylvania. "She can be experienced, she can be smart, but they still won't vote for her."
The findings reflected the widespread sentiment among young women that serious barriers remain for female political candidates - as well as women in the workplace more generally. A poll conducted by the Harvard Institute for Politics earlier this year revealed that 68 percent of 18- to 29-year-old women believe that a "glass ceiling" exists for women in America today. "There's so much scrutiny on her that I don't think would be placed on a man," Karlyann Santiago, a 26-year-old sales representative from New Hampshire. "I've personally heard people say that she wouldn't have gotten anywhere politically if it wasn't for her husband - that she's less qualified."
Unsurprisingly, voters' perspectives on the effect of Clinton's gender on her candidacy varied according to their political affiliation. Likely voters who identified as Democrats were substantially more likely than Republican-identified voters or political independents to say that Clinton's gender was having a negative impact on her performance in the polls. Nearly 70 percent of Democrats said that Clinton would be higher in the polls if she were a man, while 8 percent said she would be lower in the polls and 23 percent said there would be no difference. Only 6 percent of Republicans, by contrast, said that Clinton would be doing better in the polls if she were a man, while 47 percent said she would be doing worse in the polls, and 47 percent said there would be no difference. Independents were slightly less likely than voters overall to say that Clinton's performance in the polls was being affected - either positively or negatively - by her gender.
"I think some people are actually voting for her because she's a woman," said Ashley Hackenmiller, 22, a stay-at-home mom in Georgia who is leaning toward Trump. "But I also believe that sexism is alive and well and that there are plenty of people who don't want to see a woman in the White House. So it can cut both ways."
"I don't think Clinton being a woman is hurting her at all," said Jessie Bratcher, 22, who works at a bank in Alabama and plans to vote for Trump. "Honestly I think it's helping her. It seems like there are lots of people out there who are voting for her just because they want a woman president. They don't care how she acts or what she says."
But several readers noted that the ascendance of Donald Trump, who has been repeatedly called out for sexism and misogyny, has brought the issue of Clinton's gender - and her marriage to former president Bill Clinton - into sharper focus and may be hurting her in the polls. Regina Liggins, a 34-year-old nurse from Oklahoma who is leaning toward Clinton, said that she thought Trump's attacks were making Clinton look weak and hypocritical. Trump repeatedly accused Clinton of "playing the woman card" to garner success, and last week, a Trump ally aired an ad implying that Hillary Clinton helped cover up sexual assault accusations against her husband in the 1990s.
For others, though, the mere fact of Clinton's gender was a barrier in itself. "If she had her same resume and she was a man, there's no doubt she'd be doing better in the polls," said Tierra Richmond, a 30-year-old paralegal from Florida who is supporting Clinton. "I'm sure there are people who are thinking, We just elected the first black president and now you want a woman in the White House too? It goes back to Trump's idea of making America great again - what does that mean, anyway? I think for a lot of people, that means electing another white guy."
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