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Did sexist voters bring Italy its first female Prime Minister?

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  • Mauro Bertolotti,
  • Laura Picciafoco,
  • Patrizia Catellani
Mauro Bertolotti
Catholic University of Milan
Laura Picciafoco
Catholic University of Milan
Patrizia Catellani
Catholic University of Milan
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/qoe-16087

Pubblicato 2024-11-08

Parole chiave

  • Hostile Sexism,
  • Gender,
  • Voting Choice,
  • Political Orientation,
  • Candidate Evaluation

Come citare

Bertolotti, M., Picciafoco, L., & Catellani, P. (2024). Did sexist voters bring Italy its first female Prime Minister?. Italian Journal of Electoral Studies. https://doi.org/10.36253/qoe-16087

Copyright (c) 2024 Mauro Bertolotti, Laura Picciafoco, Patrizia Catellani

Creative Commons License

TQuesto lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale.

Abstract

We examined the role of hostile sexism in vote at the 2022 general election in Italy, where the largest among center-right parties was led by a woman, Giorgia Meloni. We analyzed data from a sample of 1635 voters who participated in the 2022 ITANES survey. Hostile sexism was associated with male gender, lower education, higher religiosity, and right-wing orientation. As to vote choice, hostile sexism was positively associated with vote for Brothers of Italy and the other center-right parties. However, such association was significantly moderated by the evaluation of Giorgia Meloni, and disappeared among voters with a positive evaluation of her. Discussion focusses on the interplay between gender-related attitudes and candidate-based heuristics in vote choice.

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