Women are more trustworthy, more capable of providing health care and less likely to use a political office for personal financial gain, according to a recent poll by the Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus.
Approximately 600 voters responded to the poll determining whether there are major differences between men and women political candidates. The caucus conducted the survey in an attempt to understand what obstacles women may face if one should decide to run.
Panelists from the Black and Women’s Caucuses discussed the results Tuesday, among other topics.
Diane Winston, a New Orleans area representative and Women’s Caucus chairperson, said the survey dispels the idea that biases are present in politics.
“Some women thinking of running use the excuse that there are prejudices on them that they aren’t strong enough and can’t handle the tough issues,” Winston said. “But these results are saying men and women alike think, ‘Yes, we trust you, and we think you care about our issues.”
She said the poll, ranging in questions about morality, physical appearance and attention to important issues, showed that women scored higher than men with the exception of fighting crime and creating new jobs.
“I think women scored lower in those two categories because most CEOs and law enforcement officials are men,” Winston said. “I think that will change as more women take on those positions.”
She said a man can talk about every reason to run for office, but women usually do the opposite.
“I think women have certain attributes as mothers, sisters, wives and caregivers,” Winston said. “Women lend themselves to what is a strength in politics — communication, relationship building and serving their constituents. Women emphasize better peacemaking and collaborative skills instead of confronting. It’s what we’ve taken on since the hunter and gatherer days.”
Lydia Jackson, a Shreveport representative and member of the Black Caucus, said women have a certain level of trust from voters but also higher expectations.
“They feel closer to us but at the same time we’re graded a little harder,” Jackson said. “There’s an expectation that I’m going to return every phone call because that’s what they expect from a woman.”
Brookie Allphin, Government Programs director, said she thinks there are stereotypes on women because of their maternal role in society.
“I’ve seen the same kinds of stats as this poll for women in CEO roles,” Allphin said. “It’s not just politics, but life and business in general.”
One audience member asked whether Louisiana was ready for a woman governor. Winston answered with a resounding, “Yes.”
Jackson said in the end, people vote for a particular individual rather than a specific gender.
“Our current governor is many things, and we can argue how effective he is, but many can agree he is not a great public speaker,” she said. “That wasn’t an issue when he was elected, and when you look at women candidates, the same can be said.”
Despite the evidence, Winston said she still believes there are obstacles for women wanting to run for office.
“Not many lobbyists will come to women to write a bill, and women are more reluctant to take on rallying discussions and really heated back and forth debate,” Winston said. “We’re less likely to take the mic because we don’t like confrontation.”
Jackson said the poll will give many women a push to try for political positions in the state and erase any fears that stereotypes and prejudgments might lose votes.
“The poll confirms I could continue to shop, not get married and not lose weight in order to run for election,” Jackson said. “People care about how professional a candidate looks and how much they care about important topics.”