Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Masculine politics; feminine politics

Political scientists regularly wonder about the political effects of those cleavages that separate some people from others. The editors at The Economist are pointing at the political relevance of gender differences in Scotland.

Are there similar differences in other democracies?

Scotswomen and independence: Just say yes

MEL GIBSON recently boasted that “Braveheart”, his breastplate-beating film about a Scottish rebellion against English rule, got the ball rolling among those seeking a Scotland independent from Britain. Unfortunately, such macho calls for freedom are not polling well among women. A Panelbase opinion survey in July found that 51% of males believe Scotland should be independent but only 38% of women do…

Women for Independence is a new all-female cross-party group that aims to persuade women that voting “yes” will improve their lives…

Perhaps this feminine touch will help, as women appear to be put off by the muscular language in which male politicians clothe their arguments for independence. Female voters have never been too keen anyway on Alex Salmond, the brusque if charismatic leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) and first minister of the Scottish government. But they are not alone in being squeamish about much of the pro-independence rhetoric. Scottish voters tend to dislike terms that emphasise a fundamental split from Britain, preferring upbeat mentions of “exciting opportunities”…

The problem, says John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, is that the consequences of a yes vote remain uncertain, which irks women more than men. Polling data show that women feel “less confident and more worried” about the prospect of independence—which, he adds, “fits the stereotype that women are more risk-averse than men”.

That may be just another way of saying that women voters are often more pragmatic, says Margaret Curran, Labour MP for Glasgow East and shadow secretary of state for Scotland…

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Labels: devolution, gender, politics, UK, women