Emphasizing or downplaying political ambitions: Exploring the role of candidate gender in shaping voter perceptions

Do male and female candidates benefit equally from disclosing their political ambition during electoral campaigns? While candidates for elective office are typically ambitious, voters may not reward female candidates to the same extent as male candidates for openly expressing such ambition. This may be because prevalent stereotypes portray women as modest and reserved, potentially clashing with the ostensibly masculine traits associated with political office. To examine this issue, we conducted a vignette experiment in Japan in which we randomly varied a candidate’s gender and stated motivation for seeking office. Our findings reveal that disclosing political ambitions, when framed as a personal choice, benefits both male and female candidates. However, male candidates who openly display ambition are perceived as more popular among the public, whereas female candidates do not receive the same benefit—even though they are rated as equally likable. This subtle disadvantage points to a nuanced gender bias mechanism: rather than stemming from direct voter disapproval, it arises from second-order beliefs that ambitious female candidates are less likely to attract broad voter support. Such perceptions may constrain women’s electoral success, deter them from openly expressing ambition, and reinforce gender disparities in political representation. These results suggest that efforts to reduce gender gaps in political leadership must address not only overt stereotypes but also voters’ perceptions of the electoral viability of ambitious female candidates.