- Power and Gender

Catalog description

Despite considerable progress, gender remains an essential dividing line in politics. Gender gaps in opinion, the double-bound treatment of public officials, the exercise of power, political opportunities, and imbalances in role models, not to mention differences in socialization and psychology all shape what amounts to the political “gender system.” In this course, we will dig into how political power is sought and utilized through a gendered lens that lays bare essential questions of equality in developed societies. To gain an appreciation for equal representation and our role in achieving it, we need to understand the nature of bias and the individual, social, and institutional forces that contribute to and help alleviate that bias. Students will conduct a range of original empirical research to contribute to these important debates.