Gender inclusivity and perceptions of party ideology: Observational and experimental evidence

Abstract Do citizens use gender-based heuristics to infer political parties’ ideological positions? We posit that citizens view more ‘gender inclusive’ parties as more left-leaning than comparable male-dominated organizations. Cues about gender inclusivity, moreover, come not only from women’s presence in parties’ legislative delegations but also from other visible signals of women’s incorporation into parties – including as leaders and supporters – and through organizational rules promoting women’s inclusion. We present analyses of election survey data from 21 Western publics over time, which show that, controlling for the left–right tones of parties’ manifestos, citizens perceive more gender-inclusive parties as more left-wing and that the cumulative impact of the various dimensions of gender inclusivity is substantial. We next report experimental evidence from four countries, which provides further support for gender-based heuristics. Our findings highlight the importance of not just the message but also the messenger in shaping citizens’ assessments of parties’ ideological perceptions.