Women's blame, men's merit? The effect of gender on voters' evaluation of ministers' governing performance

Research demonstrates how gender stereotypes affect voters' judgments of political candidates, resulting in a voter bias to the detriment of women candidates. However, little is known about how these stereotypes influence voters' judgments of women in executive office. In this study, we experimentally test the effect of ministers' gender on voters' evaluation of their governing performance in Flanders (Belgium). Given the gendered nature of perceptions of 'agency', we expect that voters are more likely to treat men as more responsible than women for changes that occur during their tenure. Our study finds that voters generally make no distinction between men and women ministers in the evaluation of their governing performance. However, women ministers' governing performance is evaluated less favorably for negative policy outcomes in masculine issues compared to negative policy outcomes in feminine issues. Taken together, these findings yield important insights into the biases women face against political leadership.