Gender Linked Fate and the Marriage Gap in American Politics

• In Event: 173 - Section on Political Sociology Paper Session. Politics and Gender

Abstract

In this study, we explore the predictors and political consequences of gender linked fate with a focus on marital status. We argue that marriage alters women’s perceptions of self-interest by institutionalizing their partnerships with men and this in turn leads women to feel less connected to other women. We assess our hypothesis using the 2012 American National Election Study. We find that married women tend to have significantly lower levels of linked fate than unmarried women. Based on this result, we explore the role of gender linked fate in explaining political differences among married and unmarried women using mediation analysis. Ultimately, we find that differences in perceptions of linked fate explain a significant and substantial amount of the variation in political ideology, partisanship, and preference for female candidates among married and unmarried women. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for the marriage gap in American politics.

Authors

• Kelsy Kretschmer, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

• Christopher Stout, Southern Illinois University